THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 

OF  CALIFORNIA 
LOS  ANGELES 


METAMORPHOSE 


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(ti'^^^f^^^^t,.^=ff^^f'-^^C^^^'C^^^ 


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METAMORPHOSE 


Involving  Regeneration  of  Individual  and  Race, 

and  also  the  Solution  of  the  great 

Problem  of  Poverty 


BV 
ORLANDO  K.  FITZSIMMONS 


Price  $2.00 
8s 


CHICAGO  AND  BUFFALO 

PROGRESS  PUBLISHING  COMPANY 

LONDON 

C.  D.  CAZENOVE 
5  Henrietta  St..  Coveat  Garden 

1906 


Copyrighted  by 
Orlando  K.  Fitzsimmons 

Entered  at  Stationers  Hall 

LONDON 

All  Rights  Reserved 
1906 


DEDICATION 

TO 
THOSE  WHO  ASPIRE  TO  GOOD 

AND  THEY  ARE  LEGION 

IN  EVERY  BUSINESS.  IN  EVERY  PROFESSION 

IN  EVERY  CALLING,  IN  EVERY  WALK  OF  LIFE 

RICH  OR  POOR,  HIGH  OR  LOW 

GREAT  OR  SMALL 

THIS  BOOK 

Mb  XinHlg  B»i>iratpi>  by 

THE  AUTHOR 


152487G 


H^ithin  the  Heart  of  the  Universe  the  stveet 
Spirit  of  Love  shoivtn  the  Earth  ivith  mani- 
fold blessings  of  plenty. 


CONTENTS. 

Chapter  Pago 

Foreword    13 

Introduction 19 

I.     Light  Is  Needed 23 

II.    Present  Conditions  in  Perspective  38 
III.     The  Causes  of  Prevailing  Condi- 
tions   52 

IV.     Turning  On  the  Light 61 

V.    Utility    77 

VI.     Fundamental  Principles 90 

VII.     Precept  or  Law  102 

VIII.     Substance  and  Shadow 118 

IX.    A  Confession  of  Imposture 140 

X.    Illusions    159 

XL     The  Mathematics  of  Religion  ....  182 

XII.     The  Rationale  of  the  New 194 

IXIII.     Memorabilia    212 

Appendix 219 


SYNOPSIS. 

Page 
FOREWORD— Out  of  Golden  Cups,  a  poetic  gem,  teach- 
ing a  beautiful  lesson — Purpose  of  the  work — Birth- 
right of  the  Race — Fear  throttling  Truth — Why 
Truth  is  repressed — Conditions  alone  criticized — 
Radical  departure  from  the  well-established,  accom- 
panied by  logical  and  scientific  reason — Intelligent 
criticism  invited — Flaws  can  be  remedied — Truth 
wears  no  mask 13 

INTRODUCTION— How  to  know— *' Knowledge  "  vs. 
Wisdom — Wisdom — Appearances  deceptive — Divine 
message — The  Scroll — The  New  and  the  Old 19 

LIGHT  IS  NEEDED— The  Traveler— Modern  battle-field 
— City  Hall — Modern  merchandising — '  *  Justice ' ' — A 
lawyer's  oath — Business  assassins — Peace  Conference 
— The  corrupt  Tree — Civic  strife — Legal  Murder — 
Soul-destroying  fruit — Voice  of  Good — The  Promised 
Land — An  evil  system — a  practicability — The  real 
problem    23 

PRESENT     CONDITIONS     IN     PERSPECTIVE— The 

work  of  thinkers — Evil  conditions  universal,  Remedy 
must  be  universal — Oppressive  commercialism — Cos- 
mic view  of  the  Race — Dependence  of  the  individual 
— "Money"  introduced — Modern  business  a  relic  of 
barbarism — "Money  making" — Success — Age^  of 
commercialism — A  general  view — Senile  Competition     38 

THE  CAUSES  OF  PREVAILING  CONDITIONS— Hoard- 
ing— Greed  and  Fear — The  divine  Remedy  for  Hoard- 
ing— The  problem  of  the  individual — Stupidity  of 
hoarding — Profit — Ihe  old  way  and  the  new 52 


SYNOPSIS— Continued 

TUENING  ON  THE  LIGHT— High  Priests  of  Mammon. 
— Precedent — Judges  human — Dissecting  the  Idol — 
The  game  of  wibble-wabble — Credit — The  unit  of 
money — Bank  deposits — The  maze — More  light — The 
game  of  O.  P.  M. — National  bank  failures — Savings 
banks — "Financial  advice" — Dollar  tyranny — The 
need  of  honest  officials — Deception  and  Spoliation,  on 
parade    61 

UTILITY — Hoarding  impoverishes — Existence  and  Util- 
ity equally  important — "Dollars" — Amazing  results 
of  utility — $900  for  $1.00 — Material  immaterial — 
''Philanthropy"  of  bankers  —  Treason  —  Eequire- 
ments  of  the  new  System 7T 

FUNDAMENTAL  PRINCIPLES— The  mathematics  of 
the  Law  of  Correspondence — All  things  dual — Posi- 
tive and  Negative — Energy  and  Love — Attraction, 
and  Kadiation — The  Principle  of  Giving — Divine 
friction  —  Fundamental  propositions  —  Evolution  — 
Growth   and    Change 90 

PRECEPT  OR  LAW — TRUTH— Building— The  Essence 
of  construction — Rebellion — Evil — Satan  revealed — • 
Ignorance — Cosmic  propositions — Analytical  reason 
— The  Golden  Key — Divine  Wisdom — A  mathemati- 
cal demonstration — The  Golden  Rule  a  Natural  Law  102$ 

SUBSTANCE  AND  SHADOW— What  is  "wealth"— 
Surplus  defined — The  science  of  Finance — Equilibri- 
um between  Money  and  Surplus — How  maintained — 
Credit  scientifically  analyzed — A  Credit  factory — 
Operation  explained — Dollar  tracks — Law  of  Aver- 
age— Secretary  Shaw  in  confirmation — Market — De- 
struction of  Credit — Watered  stock — The  problem  of 
Poverty  and  its  cardinal  points — The  solution  of  the 
Problem    at    hand 118 

A    CONFESSION    OF    IMPOSTURE— Prosperity    and 

panic — Stock  exchanges — Charity  disguised — News- 
papers— Advertising — Real  estate — Life  Insurance — 
1  he    lesson    140 

ILLUSIONS — Deceptive  appearances — Time  and  appear- 
ance— Reserve  funds  a  delusion — A  basic  error — Ap- 
plied   energy — Failure    eliminated — Investment — ^In.- 


SYNOPSIS— Continued 

terest — Striking  an  average — Man-made  laws — A 
pertinent  example — Oppression — Majesty,  spurious 
anil  genuine — The  proper  metiiocl 159 

MATHEMATICS  OF  RELIGION— Lesser  errors— Pres- 
ent degradation  necessary — What  is  possible — Limi- 
tation— Process  of  regeneration — Attainment  of  the 
Good — Old  truths  in  new  light — Importance  of 
Ideas — A  nobler  condition  in  store — The  circle  illus- 
tration— The  Change  at  hand 182 

THE  RATIONALE  OF  THE  NEW— Design  of  the  or- 
ganization— Purposes  and  objects — Formative  mag- 
net— Tools — Material — What  man  can  conceive — 
Ring  out  the  Old,  ring  in  the  New 194 

MEMORABILIA— Things  to  be  remembered— True  sig- 
nificance of  Union — A  formula — Conclusion,  the 
sower    212 

APPENDIX— (a)  Speech— (b)  Fear— (c)  The  Procura- 
tor— (d)  Suspicion — (e)  Conquest — (f)  "Govern- 
ment"— (g)  Expiring  Competition — (h)  Brands  of 
Money — (i)  Bank  Reserve — (j)  Floating  Population 
— (k)  Looking  Upward — (1)  Accounting  of  U.  S. 
Money — (m)  Roosevelt's  Idea — (n)  Machinery — 
(o)  Judges  and  Justice — (p)  Modern  "Fraternal- 
ism" — (q)  Insurance  Premium  Analyzed — (r)  A 
Good  Insurance  Association — (s)  "Fraud  Order" 
Conspiracy — (t)  Postofilce  "Inspectors" — (u)  Too 
Much  Law — (v)  Malicious  "Newspapers" — (w)  The 
Good  in  Manifestation — (x)  An  Inspired  Poet — 
(y)  Prof.  Edgar  L.  Larkin's  Significant  Impressions 
— (z)  Additional  Information   219 


METAMORPHOSE 

FOREWORD 


OUT   OF   GOLDEN   CUPS 

By  Grant  Wallace 

Came  three  lowly  brothers  to  the  poppy  field — 
Pessimist,  Dream-Maker  and  the  Soul  of  Joy, 

Seeking,  seeking  what  the  golden  bloom  might  yield 
Of  sustaining  sweets,  or  poison  to  destroy. 

First,  with  hairy  claws  and  eyes  of  burning  malice, 

From  his  lair  deep  in  the  desert  sere  and  hot, 
Toward  the  honied  dew  within  the  poppy's  chalice, 

Climbs  the  spider,  ugly,  grasping,  fanged  and  squat; 
Dashes  down  the  velvet  petals  bruised  and  torn, 

Seeks  the  blossom's  dewy  heart,  and  sits  and  sups; 
Fills  his  poison-sac  from  out  its  golden  horn — 

Quaffing  bitter  venom  out  of  golden  cups! 

Next,  with  eyes  aslant  and  face   of  ghastly  hue, 

Bends  the  Mongol  coolie  o'er  the  golden  field, 
Gleaning  milky  beads   of   honied  poppy-dew, 

Forcing  Nature's  sweetest  flowers  to  yield 
Fantasies,   which   nations   suck  through   yellowing  lipa— 

Suck   and   float,   dismantled,  on   the   dreamy  Ocean, 
Rudderless,   into   the   Port   of  Sunken   Ships. 

So,   the  Mongol,   seeking  Lethe's   cursed  potion. 
Seeking   blood-bought   gold   for   sordid   men   in   power, 

Gleaning   spectral    Death    in    maddening   shapes   untold, 
Scrapes  with   monstrous   nail    the   weeping  poppy-flower. 

Conjuring  maniac  visions  out  of  cups  of  goldl 
13 


METAMORPHOSE 

Then  a  gleaner  came  who  wrought  a  different  spelll 

With   cheerful,   reverent   care,   and   all   unselfishly, 
Deep  within  that  selfsame  golden  poppy-bell, 

Wrought   the   optimistic,   nectar-finding  bee; 
Not  as  the  vcnomed  spider  or  poor  human-kind, 

But  cheerily,  as  one  who  knows  the  truth  of  old: 
"Whatsoe'er  in  life  ye  seek  ye  surely  find" — 

And  garnered  honey  from  that  very  cup  of  gold! 

O,  companions  of  the  spider — ye  who  drain 

Bitter  cups  at  some  Belshazzar's  feast, 
Cynic   souls   that    ever   murmur   and    complain, 

Self-men,  pelf -men,  purblind  brothers  of  the  beast, 
Learn    this   lesson — through   the   long,    dim    ages   told, 

Ye   who   prey   and  preach   the   gospel  of  Despair, 
Drinking  from   life 's  chalice,   though  it  be   of   beaten   gold, 

Seeking  hate  and  malice — ye  shall  find  but  poison  there! 

Like  the  nectar 'd  bee  or  squat  tarantula, 

Ye  build  your  own  ideal.     Lo,  you  can  distil 
From  the  self -same  flowers  that   line  life's  way 

Love  or  venom.     You  can  make  life  what  you  will — 
Or  sweet  or  bitter.     Yea,   you  have  the  power  to  say 

What  for  you  the  cup  of  Destiny  shall  hold: 
Better  quaff  life's  sweetness  from  mere  shards  of  clay 

Than  sip  its  poison  out  of  jeweled  cups  of  goldl 

The  searchers  of  this  book  will  be  able  to  find 
therein  whatsoever  they  seek. 

The  sole  purpose  of  the  work  is  to  set  forth 
clearly  the  existing  evils,  their  causes  and  their 
purpose,  and  then  to  point  out  an  inviting 
method  whereby  Evil  can  be  replaced  with  Good. 

Nothing  is  free  from  the  prevailing  pollution 
that  saturates  every  phase  of  life,  high  and  lo^, 
great  and  small.  The  education,  the  associa- 
tion, the  environment  of  each  individual  must 

14 


FOREWORD 

be  changed  to  bring  the  Eace  into  its  birthright 
of  Health,  Happiness  and  Peace ! 

Many  will  probably  be  amazed  at  the  criticism 
of  our  "Government'*  which  includes  all  of  its 
departments.  The  fear  of  prison  often  re- 
strains people  from  expressing  their  opinion  of 
law  courts.  In  fact  Fear  is  ever  throttling 
Truth.    Count  Tolstoi  says : 

' '  One  man  does  not  assert  the  truth  which  he 
knows  because  he  feels  himself  bound  to  the  peo- 
ple with  whom  he  is  engaged;  another  because 
the  truth  might  deprive  him  of  the  profitable  po- 
sition by  which  he  maintains  his  family ;  a  third 
because  he  desires  to  attain  reputation  and 
authority,  and  then  use  them  in  the  service  of 
mankind;  a  fourth  because  he  does  not  wish  to 
destroy  old  sacred  traditions ;  a  fifth  because  he 
has  no  desire  to  offend  people ;  a  sixth  because 
the  expression  of  truth  would  arouse  presecu- 
tion  and  disturb  the  excellent  social  activity  to 
which  he  has  devoted  himself. 

' '  Only  the  truth  and  its  expression  can  estab- 
lish that  new  public  opinion  which  will  reform 
the  ancient,  obsolete  and  pernicious  order  of 
life,  and  yet  we  do  not  only  not  express  the  truth 
we  know,  but  often  even  distinctively  give  ex- 
pression to  what  we  ourselves  regard  as  false. 

' '  If  only  men  were  to  boldly  and  clearly  ex- 
press the  truth  already  manifest  to  them  of  the 
brotherhood  of  all  nations  and  the  crime  of  ex- 

15 


METAMORPHOSE 

elusive  devotion  to  one's  own  people,  that  de- 
funct, false  public  opinion  would  slough  off  of 
itself  like  a  dried  skin,  and  the  new  public  opin- 
ion would  stand  forth,  which  is  even  now  but 
awaiting  that  dropping  off  of  the  old  to  put 
forth  manifestly  and  powerfully  its  demands 
and  establish  new  forms  of  existence  in  con- 
formity with  the  consciousness  of  mankind." 

The  author  has  no  ties  which  either  restrain 
the  truth  or  warp  the  presentation  of  it.  His 
one  desire  is  to  present  clearly  and  forcibly  the 
present  evils  and  their  intelligent  remedy. 

It  should  be  clearly  understood  that  he  criti- 
cizes no  individual  member  of  the  body  politic, 
but  that  his  aim  is  centered  on  the  existing  con- 
ditions, and  the  conditions  alone.  To  be  sure 
there  are  various  grades  of  individual  person- 
alities, ranging  from  brutal  malevolence  to  be- 
nevolent philanthropy,  which  make  up  the  body 
politic,  but  there  is  no  need  to  distinguish  per- 
sons when  conditions  alone  are  considered. 

The  sole  desire  of  the  author  is  to  tell  the 
truth,  and  if  there  is  a  single  statement  made 
between  these  covers  that  is  not  the  truth  it  is 
a  mistake  which  will  be  gladly  acknowledged 
and  rectified  publicly  if  our  attention  is  called 
thereto. 

If  the  things  recounted  herein  are  the  truth, 

then  many  good  souls  will  undoubtedly  be  ut, 

16 


FOREWORD 

terly  amazed  that  such  things  can  exist  in  an  in- 
telligent civilization. 

We  endeavor  not  to  rehash  the  evils  which  are 
so  apparent  that  current  publications  are  filled 
with  them,  but  we  point  out  even  graver  evils 
which  are  commonly  considered  good  in  the 
false  light  of  the  day.  It  would  have  been  a 
great  pleasure  to  have  omitted  all  mention  of 
Evil,  but  it  is  necessary  to  consider  it  in  order 
by  comparison,  to  become  conscious  of  its  oppo- 
site— the  Good.  If  there  were  no  Evil  there 
would  be  no  yearning  of  the  Soul  for  Good,  since 
all  would  be  Good.  A  fish  in  a  lake  longs  not 
for  water. 

The  desire  of  the  author  is  to  accompany  each 
departure  from  the  conventional  or  well  estab- 
lished with  logical  and  scientific  reason.  In 
other  words,  to  present  ideas  that  are  mathe- 
matically or  logically  correct  and  that  can  be 
worked  out  on  a  Cause  to  Effect  basis.  Facts 
can  at  all  times  be  backed  up  with  logic.  Logic 
is  another  term  for  intelligent  reasoning. 

The  ideas  set  forth  in  this  volume  are,  on  the 
whole,  such  a  radical  departure  from  the  well 
established  that  we  will  no  doubt  be  assailed 
with  much  criticism,  and  especially  by  those 
who  read  much  and  think  little  or  none  at  all. 
The  hasty  or  desultory  reader  will  be  apt  to 
criticise  most.  Intelligent  criticism  is  very 
helpful  and  we  will  welcome  it  most  cordially 

17 


METAMORPHOSE 

since  it  will  aid  in  bringing  forth  new  and  use- 
ful ideas.  Inane  criticism  neither  benefits  the 
would-be  critic  nor  the  one  criticised.  It  in- 
volves a  waste  of  energy  to  the  former  and 
lends  no  aid  to  the  latter.  Intelligent  criticism 
involves  not  only  the  locating  of  faults,  but  also 
the  giving  of  logical  reasons  therefor,  while  in- 
ane criticism  is  an  assortment  of  mere  asser- 
tions unaccompanied  by  intelligent  reason. 

Flaws,  when  located,  can  be  remedied.  When 
intelligent  reason  locates  real  flaws  it  tends  to 
perfection.  An  effort  at  intelligent  criticism 
rewards  the  searcher,  since  it  involves  mental 
exercise  which  results  in  mental  development 
and  thus  accomplishes  one  of  the  objects  of  this 
work. 

We  therefore  desire  intelligent  criticism  and 
would  be  pleased  to  receive  any  pertinent  com- 
munications on  the  subject,  and  especially  those 
of  sufficient  importance  to  warrant  a  revision 
of  the  book. 

We  ask  no  favors,  we  have  no  apologies  to 
offer,  our  sole  desire  is  to  be  of  benefit  to  the 
Eace. 

"Truth  wears  no  mask,  bows  at  no  human 
shrine,  seeks  neither  place  nor  applause,  she 
only  asks  a  hearing." 

TnE  Author. 
Buffalo,  N.  Y.,  Dec.  8th,  1905. 


18 


INTRODUCTION 

"O  Son,  he  that  hears  must  co-understanrl, 
and  conspire  in  thought  with  him  that  speaks; 
yea,  he  must  have  his  hearing  swifter  and 
sharper,  than  the  voice  of  the  speaker." — 
Hermes. 

It  has  been  said  that  in  order  to  know  a  thing 
well  one  should  know  seven  things  about  it, 
namely :  the  North  of  it,  the  South  of  it,  the  East 
of  it,  the  West  of  it,  the  Top  of  it,  the  Bottom 
of  it,  and  the  Middle  of  it. 

Present  day  knowledge  consists  in  a  more  or 
less  vague  comprehension  of  things  or  condi- 
tions as  they  exist.  The  individual  seldom 
troubles  himself  to  ascertain  the  Causes  which 
produce  the  Effects  and  contents  himself  with 
the  "knowledge*'*  that  Smith  has  failed  in 
business,  or  that  Rockefeller  is  a  millionaire, 
or  that  a  big  strike  is  on  in  Chicago,  or  that  the 
First  National  Bank  has  failed,  or  that  the  man- 
agers of  various  Life  Insurance  Companies  are 
custodians  of  $2,500,000,000  of  other  people's 
money,  or  that  the  average  office  holder  is  a 
grafter,  or  that  the  men  who  make  our  "laws" 

*See  Note  (a)  Appendix. 


METAMORPHOSE 

are  boodlers,  and  the  land  is  full  of  prisons,  and 
the  air  full  of  crime,  and  10,000,000  of  American 
people  are  on  the  verge  of  pauperism. 

The  comprehension  of  such  things  is  termed 
''knowledge,'*  and  perhaps  it  is,  but  it  is  not 
Wisdom. 

Wisdom  is  the  comprehension  of  the  Causes 
which  produce  the  Effects ;  it  is  the  true  light  of 
the  Mind ;  it  is  the  manifestation  of  real  intelli- 
gence. 

Man  is  ever  deceived  by  Effects  or  appear- 
ances because  he  is  prone  to  accept  the  appear- 
ances as  the  ultimate,  or  the  end  of  knowledge, 
rather  than  as  mere  symbols  to  enable  him  to 
decipher  Divine  Ideas. 

We  look  about  us  and  see  poverty  and  want 
and  crime  and  shame  spread  broadcast  over 
the  land,  and  fail  to  realize  that  these  are 
merely  symbols  or  hieroglyphics  for  us  to  de- 
cipher that  we  may  comprehend  the  message. 
It  is  God's  handwriting  on  the  wall. 

"The  moving  finger  writes;  and,  having  writ. 
Moves  on;  nor  all  your  piety  nor  wit 
Shall  lurp  it  back  to  cancel  half  a  line, 
Nor  all  your  tears  wash  out  a  word  of  it." 

Supreme  Intelligence  never  brings  about  a 
condition  without  a  Purpose,  and  the  trend  of 
the  great  order  of  things  is  ever  onward  and 
upward. 

Thrice  Great  Hermes  says : 

"Providence  is  Divine  Order." 

20 


INTRODUCTION 

"Necessity  is  the  Minister  or  Servant  of 
Providence. ' ' 

An  analytical  contemplation  of  those  two 
great  propositions  serves  to  give  us  a  glimpse 
of  the  mighty  procession  of  the  things  that  have 
been,  the  things  that  are,  and  the  things  that  are 
yet  to  be  manifested. 

Nature  is  the  materialized  word  of  God,  al- 
ways in  motion,  ever  changing;  a  giant  Scroll 
traced  by  Divine  Fingers,  always  unfolding, 
ever  expanding. 

Learning  to  read  the  Scroll  is  the  first  step 
in  the  attainment  of  Wisdom,  and  Wisdom  in- 
creases as  perception  grows  keener. 

A  moment's  thought  enables  us  to  perceive 
that  in  Nature  the  Supreme  Intelligence  per- 
forms its  wonders  unhampered  by  the  pervers- 
ity of  man's  ignorance.  Nature  is  the  school  of 
the  wise.  There  we  find  a  constant  succession 
of  the  New  growing  out  of  the  decomposition 
and  disintegration  of  the  Old.  Nature  casts  off 
the  Old  and  builds  up  the  New.  Man  would 
progress  more  rapidly  if  he  would  follow  Na- 
ture in  this  respect,  but  he  is  prone  to  be  fear- 
ful of  the  New  and  cling  blindly  to  the  Old,  not 
because  the  New  is  bad,  but  because  of  his  in- 
nate selfishness.* 

Then,  too,  man  is  indolent  and  dislikes  to 
make  the  effort  necessary  for  the  comprehen- 
sion of  the  New.    The  stupid  and  lazy  individual 

*See  Note  (b)  Appendix. 

21 


METAMORPHOSE 

invariably  says,  "The  old  way  is  good  enough 
for  me. ' '  If  all  the  world  assumed  that  attitude 
there  would  be  no  progress;  if  all  were  drones 
no  honey  would  be  gathered. 

Life  is  a  constant  succession  of  good  things 
— natural  things — for  us  to  utilize.  It  is  the  Old 
things  that  decay;  it  is  the  utilization  of  the 
New  grain,  the  New  fruit,  the  New  Ideas  that 
benefit  and  advantage  the  human  race. 

"To  each,  according  to  his  talent,  shall  the 
mysteries  of  the  kingdom  be  revealed,  to  every- 
one according  to  his  humility,  spiritual  light 
and  merit.  But  from  the  arrogant,  the  selfish 
and  spiritually  proud,  shall  all  things  be  taken 
away,  and  truth  shroud  herself  in  the  veil  of 
delusion.  "—The  Light  of  Egypt. 


CHAPTER  I 

Light  is  Needed 

"A  good  tree  cannot  bring  forth  corrupt 
fruit,  neither  can  a  corrupt  tree  bring  forth 
good  fruit;  wherefor  by  their  fruits  ye  shall 
know  them." — Matthew. 

The  physical  vision  of  each  individual  is  lim- 
ited to  a  small  circumference  even  though  ho 
stand  on  the  summit  of  a  mountain.  A  trav- 
eler passing  through  our  country  from  coast 
to  coast  sees  but  the  narrow  pathway  of  his 
vision.  If  he  be  observant  he  will  see  much 
more  than  the  ordinary  gazer.  As  he  passes 
through  the  country  he  will  perceive  a  delight- 
ful harmony  wherever  Nature  holds  sway.  His 
brief  glimpse  of  the  cities  will,  however,  prob- 
ably convey  to  him  the  impression  of  discord 
and  strife,  for  there  men  congregate  together 
in  a  continuous  battle  more  fierce  and  vindictive 
and  devoid  of  compassion  than  any  that  were 
recently  waged  on  the  fields  of  Manchuria. 

If  the  traveler  will  stop  and  explore  one  of 
these  municipal  fields  of  battle  he  will  find  the 
hospitals  and  asylums  filled  with  the  wounded; 
he  will  find  strewed    over    the  field  hundreds 

23 


METAMORPHOSE 
wounded  unto  death.  He  will,  if  his  explora- 
tion be  thorough,  find  far  more  misery  and  suf- 
fering in  one  of  these  modern  charnal  houses, 
called  cities,  than  he  could  find  in  all  of  the  bat- 
tles of  the  late  war.  If  his  vision  were  keen 
enough  to  pierce  through  the  walls  of  the  homes 
he  would  find  therein  a  reflection  in  miniature 
of  the  strife  and  the  misery  on  the  outside. 

It  is  not  necessary  here  to  recount  the  hor- 
rors of  the  slums  and  sweat  shops,  nor  even  the 
greater  evils  of  modern  society.  The  Salvation 
Army,  the  Volunteers,  and  kindred  local  organ- 
izations are  endeavoring  to  alleviate  some  of 
the  suffering  in  the  lower  world,  while  the 
upper  world  continues  its  flagrant  violation  of 
every  divine  law,  living  on  the  spoils  of  trick- 
ery, robbery  and  pillage. 

If  the  traveler  would  understand  the  moral 
status  of  the  leaders  of  the  warfare,  he  should 
first  penetrate  the  mysteries  of  the  City  Hall. 
There  he  will  be  most  apt  to  find  a  band  of 
"reputable"  citizens,  well  drilled  in  the  modern 
art  of  pillage,  who  plunder  for  hire.  They  are 
usually  in  the  pay  of  prominent  "business" 
men,  sometimes  called  "captains  of  industry" 
because  of  their  proficiency  and  industry  in  the 
scientific  quest  for  dollars. 

Going  from  the  City  Hall  to  a  modern  mer- 
chandising establishment,  he  can  see  the  spirit 
of  the  day  manifested  in  various  forms  of  de- 
ception that  range  from  the  petty  catch-penny 

24 


LIGHT  IS  NEEDED 

affair  to  the  studied  deception  of  an  accom- 
plished bunco-steerer.  In  some  of  these  large 
establishments  he  will  find  a  horror  which  tran- 
scends mere  robbery.  It  is  the  crime  of  the 
procurator  who  seeks  to  debauch  the  mothers 
of  the  race  !* 

From  here  the  traveler  can  proceed  to  the 
Courts  of  ''Justice" — Justice,  not  only  blind- 
folded but  contaminated  and  defiled  by  her  vic- 
ious associates,  like  pure  and  noble  womanhood 
dragged  in  the  mire  of  infamy — and  there  he 
will  find  human  vampires,  called  lawyers,  whose 
profession  it  is  to  suck  the  life  blood  of  those 
wounded  in  this  modern  battle.  The  traveler 
need  not  make  close  inspection  to  perceive  the 
gaudy  scenery,  the  pompous  display,  and  the 
bumptious  mien  with  which  the  tragi-comedy 
of  "Justice"  is  daily  presented  to  the  morbid 
and  short-sighted  audience.  He  hears  a  mag- 
nificent oath,  after  this  manner,  taken  by  each 
lawyer  who  is  admitted  to  the  bar : 

"Whereby  I  invoke  God's  help  that  I  may 
do  no  falsehood  nor  consent  to  the  doing  of  any 
in  court ;  that  I  may  not  wittingly  or  willingly 
promote  or  sue  any  false,  groundless,  or  unlaw- 
ful suit,  nor  give  aid  or  consent  to  the  same; 
that  I  may  delay  no  man  for  lucre  or  malice, 
but  that  I  may  conduct  myself  with  all  good 
fidelity.;' 

This  is  the  honeyed  speech  of  the  villain  in 
the  play  with  which  he  seeks  to  delude  his  vie- 

*See  Note  (c)  Appendix. 

25 


METAMORPHOSE 

tim  into  a  false  feeling  of  security.  The  first 
opportunity  the  average  lawyer  has  to  do  so, 
he  will  go  into  court  and  willingly  and  knowing- 
ly lie  and  use  the  most  disreputable  means  to 
convict  an  innocent  person  of  some  crime  just 
to  win  his  ''case."  The  judges  are  chosen  from 
out  the  general  assortment  of  these  harpys,  and 
whenever  possible,  they  decide  a  case  to  their 
own  satisfaction  before  they  hear  it.  It  saves 
time.  Lacking  real  wisdom,  it  is  impossible 
that  they  dispense  real  justice.  They  are  not 
here  charged  with  accepting  bribes,  but,  being 
human  and  a  natural  product  of  the  times,  they 
are  at  least  amenable  to  influence,  and  "influ- 
ence" today  is  a  near  neighbor  to  dollars.  The 
curtain  is  finally  rung  down  on  this  modern 
travesty  placarded  as  "The  Majesty  of  the 
Law,"  and  the  traveler  takes  a  stroll  over  the 
field  in  general. 

Everywhere  is  seen  a  hurrying  and  skurry- 
ing  to  and  fro.  The  air  seems  impregnated  with 
blighting  Fear  and  gross  Suspicion.  Fear,  re- 
sulting from  vague  imaginings  or  dire  forebod- 
ings, is  everywhere  present.  Nearly  every  in- 
dividual views  his  neighbors  with  suspicion.* 

On  every  side  he  sees  men  and  women  barter- 
ing their  manhood  and  womanhood  for  dollars. 
He  sees  "business"  assassins  skulking  in  the 
shadows,  ever  on  the  alert  to  knife  and  plunder 
relative,  friend,  or  stranger.    If  these  assassins 

*See  Note  (d)  Appendix. 

26 


LIGHT  IS  NEEDED 

are  successful,  they  are  regarded  as  eminently 
*' respectable"  in  the  eyes  of  the  community. 
These  often  build  churches,  either  to  disguise 
their  worship  of  the  golden  calf,  or  in  a  vain 
attempt  to  appease  the  longing  of  the  soul  for 
Good.  They  are  so  saturated  with  the  spirit 
of  deception  that  they  often  deceive  themselves ; 
so  fired  by  Greed  that  they  rob  themselves  of 
life's  real  joys! 

Pilled  with  compassion  for  the  souls  incased 
in  the  material  shell  and  struggling  to  break 
through  into  the  light,  the  traveler  takes  up  his 
journey  imbued  with  a  desire  to  call  a  great 
Peace  Conference  in  some  sylvan  ampitheater, 
filled  with  the  harmony  of  Nature's  orchestra, 
where,  gathered  together  in  receptive  silence, 
the  envoys  of  the  people  could  hearken  to  the 
voice  of  God. 

He  extends  his  travels  from  North  to  South, 
from  East  to  West,  endeavoring  to  obtain  a 
comprehensive  view  of  the  Nation — a  Nation 
composed  of  a  great  and  glorious  people,  not 
intentionally  vicious  or  sordid,  but  surrounded 
with  an  environment  which  blinds  them  to  the 
real  object  of  life. 

He  perceives  a  great  Tree  flourishing  in  their 
midst,  called  Modern  Commercialism,  and  the 
fruit  thereof  is  Poverty,  and  Want,  and  Crime, 
and  Shame.  He  realizes  that  since  the  fruit  is 
corrupt,  the  Tree  is  of  necessity  a  corrupt  Tree, 
and  he  quickly  perceives  that  the  corruption 

27 


METAMORPHOSE 

extends  tliroiigii  root  and  branch,  and  he  would 
fain  point  out  the  corruption  to  the  people,  and 
teach  them  the  method  whereby  they  may  ex- 
terminate it. 

He  finds  the  land  filled  to  overflowing  with 
most  bountiful  material  blessings ;  it  is  a  store- 
house of  material  treasures,  vast  beyond  man's 
conception.  Not  only  is  there  sufficient  for  the 
most  luxurious  demands  of  the  American  peo- 
ple, but  he  finds  that  they  are  daily  sending 
huge  cargoes  of  surplus  products  to  the  various 
peoples  of  the  Earth.  Yet  in  spite  of  the  fact 
that  there  is  plenty  for  all  and  to  spare,  he 
finds  the  land  filled  with  civil  strife  and  con- 
tention over  these  same  products !  Every- 
where the  combat  rages  fierce  and  relentless 
and  no  quarter  is  shown. 

"Then  in  our  might  we  swing  our  cruel  ax 
And  blast  the  life  of  someone — for  a  coin!  "* 

Even  those  who  decry  the  wars  of  powder 
and  sword,  rush  gleefully  into  this  modern 
slaughter  of  the  innocents,  and,  vampire-like, 
suck  the  last  drop  of  blood  from  their  wounded 
and  dying  victims.  It  is  not  only  pitiful ;  it  is 
sickening. 

Everywhere  he  goes  he  finds  prisons  for  the 
incarceration  of  those  luckless  ones  who  over- 
step the  conventional  man-made  rules  of  Grab. 
There  are  those  who  make  a  profession  of  tak- 

*See  Note  (e)  Appendix. 

2S 


LIGHT  IS  NEEDED 

ing  by  force  instead  of  in  the  usual  ''legiti- 
mate" way,  and  these  are  the  outlaws  of  this 
modern  warfare. 

He  sees  gallows  whereon  murder  is  com- 
mitted "according  to  law."  The  real  mur- 
derers are  not  those  who  spring  the  trap,  but 
they  are  the  men  who  make  the  "laws"  which 
provide  for  the  murder.  The  executioner  is 
but  an  accessory  to  the  horrid  crime. 

He  finds  further  that  our  self-praised  Gov- 
ernment has  degenerated  from  a  Government 
of  the  people,  by  the  people,  for  the  people,  to 
a  Government  of  commercialism,  by  commer- 
cialism, for  commercialism;  of  deception,  by 
deception,  for  deception;  of  grafters,  by 
grafters,  for  grafters! 

He  is  filled  with  a  profound  respect  for  the 
American  people,  and  for  their  dormant  possi- 
bilities which  await  development;  but  he  has 
the  most  supreme  contempt  for  what  is  com- 
monly considered  the  "Government"  as  it  now 
exists.* 

Looking  into  the  conduct  and  characteristics 
of  the  average  officious  official  of  the  day,  the 
traveler  finds  him  imbued  with  the  desire  to 
tyranize  over  the  freeborn  citizens  who  come 
under  his  particular  "supervision."  He  would 
make  the  people  feel  that  he  is  master  and  they 
the  servant,  rather  than  they  the  master  and 
be  the  servant  performing  a  duty  to  the  com- 

*See  Note   (f)   Appendix. 

29 


METAMORPHOSE 

monwealtli.  He  continually  seeks  more  "pow- 
er," and  readily  joins  the  cohorts  of  Grab  in 
making  and  sustaining  *'laws"  for  the  exten- 
sion of  his  suzerainty.  Individually,  he  is  petty 
and  altogether  despicable  when  he  flaunts  his 
oflScious  arrogance  in  the  face  of  those  who  have 
conferred  upon  him  a  little  temporary  author- 
ity, but  united  with  the  gang,  he  is  a  formid- 
able menace  to  the  welfare  and  prosperity  of 
the  people. 

Seeing  all  this  and  much  more  the  traveler 
perceives  the  urgent  need  of  Light  for  the  guid- 
ance of  the  people,  that  they  may  shape  their 
proper  course. 

Words  are  but  sjmibols  for  the  expression 
or  picturing  of  Ideas  or  conditions. 

The  pictures  above  are  devoid  of  the  life,  the 
animation,  the  heartaches  and  mental  anguish 
which  the  traveler  saw,  and  they  but  mildly  rep- 
resent conditions  which  prevail  in  "free" 
America  today.  The  fruit  of  the  Tree  is  bitter 
and  soul-destroying. 

The  painter  has  neither  a  hostile  nor  an  un- 
kindly feeling  for  any  participant  in  the  brutal 
and  demoralizing  conflict  being  waged,  any 
more  than  one  who  dislikes  war  would  have  en- 
mity against  the  individual  soldiers  in  a  battle. 
He  desires  simply  to  call  attention  to  the  corv 
ditions,  which  are  but  the  Effects  of  Causes. 
He  assails  not  an  individual,  but  a  condition. 
There  are  good  men  and  noble  men  in  every 

30 


LIGHT  IS  NEEDED 

profession  and  business,  and  even  in  office,  but 
even  they  are  often  victims  of  the  illusions  with 
which  they  are  surrounded. 

The  Voice  of  Good  once  exclaimed,  "Father 
forgive  them,  for  they  know  not  what  they  do." 
That  was  when  erring  men,  "honestly"  believ- 
ing it  to  be  evil,  sought  to  crucify  the  Good. 
That  same  Good  dwells  with  us  today,  and  men 
are  still  "crucifying"  it! 

There  is  a  land  of  promise,  a  land  filled  with 
milk  and  honey,  where  swells  the  grand  anthem 
of  "Peace  on  Earth,  Good  Will  Toward  Men." 

That  land  is  not  far  distant  if  we  pursue  a 
direct  course  toward  it.  The  path  is  neither 
full  of  thorns  which  tear  nor  stones  which 
bruise;  nor  is  it  overgrown  with  a  tangle  of 
poisonous  shrubbery  which  treacherously  hides 
dark  chasms  where  venomous  reptiles  breed; 
nor  does  it  wind  and  interwind  through  miasmic 
dismal  swamps,  nor  across  inviting  quicksands 
waiting  to  engulf;  or  through  barren  wastes  of 
desert  drought  wherein  no  cooling  water  flows 
to  quench  the  spirit's  thirst.  But  the  fair  path 
leads  direct  through  glade  and  dell,  beside  glad 
brooks  arrayed  in  Nature 's  peaceful  green,  fes- 
tooned with  hue  and  shade  of  verdure  bright, 
while  all  about,  the  carol  of  Universal  Love's 
sweet  song  pervades  the  air  and  fills  the  soul 
with  the  symphony  of  Peace. 

Such  a  path  there  is  and  it  will  be  disclosed 
to  those  who,  with  eyes  to  see  and  ears  to  hear, 

31 


METAMORPHOSE 

pursue  a  search  for  it.  Let  Intelligent  Reason 
be  the  guide ;  and  all  Prejudice  and  Fear  be  ban- 
ished from  the  mind.  Prejudice  and  Fear  are 
the  offspring  of  Ignorance  and  are  very  antag- 
onistic to  Intelligent  Reason.  It  were  useless 
to  yoke  together  a  deer  and  a  tiger  for  the  pur- 
pose of  utility. 

While  none  have  yet  set  forth  a  scientific  rem- 
edy for  the  existing  evils,  many  students  have 
already  called  attention  to  their  existence,  of 
which  the  following  from  the  pen  of  J.  D.  Buck, 
M.D.,  F.T.S.,  S.R.,  32°,  is  an  excellent  example: 

The  most  hopeful  sign  of  the  times  is  the  hu- 
manitarian work  being  done  by  thousands  of 
well  disjDosed  persons  who  appreciate  existing 
evils,  and  desire  to  get  rid  of  them.  In  very 
many  instances,  however,  the  results  attained 
are  by  no  means  commensurate  with  the  energy 
or  the  sacrifice  employed,  for  self-sacrifice  is  a 
virtue  not  altogether  unknown  to  Christendom. 
But  in  very  many  instances  these  humanitarian 
efforts  resemble  an  attempt  to  destroy  a  Upaa 
tree,  which  being  cut  down  every  day,  grows 
again  before  morning.  We  imprison  and  ex- 
ecute criminals,  and  crime  nowhere  decreases. 
We  sequestrate  and  doctor  the  insane,  and  in- 
sanity continually  increases.  We  build  hospi- 
tals for  orphans,  the  sick  and  the  aged,  and  we 
do  well;  but  orphanage,  sickness,  and  the  dis- 
tress and  i)Overty  of  age  grow  in  no  wise  less. 
It  ought  sometime  to  occur  to  its  that  society  is 
all  ivrong,  or  that  something  is  radically  wrong 
mth  all  our  methods.    In  the  aggregate  all  the 

32 


LIGHT  IS  NEEDED 

profits  derived  from  scientific  discoveries  and 
from  labor-saving  machines  has  to  be  returned 
to  the  criminal  or  indigent  classes.  The  only- 
thing  that  we  can  boast  of  as  a  result  is  an  in- 
crease in  the  number  of  millionaires ;  and  these, 
as  a  class,  instead  of  being  the  fruition  of  a 
higher  evolution,  are  almost  without  exception 
the  very  fiower  of  a  Civilization  of  Competition 
and  Selfishness. 

What  then,  is  really  the  matter  with  our 
boasted  civilization?  The  answer  is,  Ignokancb 
and  Selfishness;  it  is  the  result  of  the  *'Sin 
of  Separateness."    ******* 

Is  it  not  reasonable  to  suppose  that  if  we  were 
possessed  of  real  knowledge  we  might  so  gov- 
ern our  actions,  and  so  shape  our  lives  as  to 
avoid  the  pitfalls  of  ignorance,  and  set  our  feet 
onthelineof  the  higher  evolution?     *     *     *     * 

Science  offers  a  theory,  or  a  working  hypothe- 
sis, but  still  does  not  give  us  Knowledge.  So 
long  as  it  requires  all  of  our  energies  to  barely 
maintain  existence  on  the  physical  plane,  and 
to  help  those  who  cannot  even  do  that,  unaided, 
we  have  little  opportunity  to  seek  for  higher 
things. 

The  complicated  system  under  which  we  are 
working  is  the  result  of  many  generations  of 
evil-doing,  and  these  results  cannot  be  changed 
in  a  day.  Many  of  our  modern  institutions,  cov- 
ered over  as  they  are,  with  abuses  and  injus- 
tices, are,  nevertheless,  so  deep-rooted  that  they 
will  have  to  work  themselves  out  to  the  bitter 
end  of  pain,  sorrow,  and,  probably,  through  law- 
lessness and  bloodshed.  This  need  not  be,  yet 
it  would  be  impossible  to  convince  all  at  once,  a 
sufficient  number  of  individuals  who  are  in- 

33 


METAMORPHOSE 

volved  in  these  institutions,  of  the  real  cause  of 
our  misery,  and,  at  the  same  time,  to  induce 
them  to  co-operate  AT  ONCE  to  remove  the 
cause.  Such  a  thing  is  not  to  be  expected,  be- 
cause of  universal  unbelief  as  to  the  existence 
of  the  remedy  proposed ;  hence,  retributive  Jus- 
tice will  have  to  work  out  its  own  results. 

Is  it  really  necessary  that  mankind  should 
forever  remain  in  ignorance,  and  forever  repeat 
the  same  follies,  and  invite  the  retribution  that 
we  have  invoked? — Mystic  Masonry. 

If  these  things  are  the  Effect  of  a  Cause,  then 
it  is  the  part  of  Wisdom  to  seek  out  the  Cause 
which  produced  the  Effect.  Then  we  will  have 
taken  our  first  step  toward  the  solution  of  the 
Great  Problem.  Having  ascertained  the  Causes 
which  produce  the  evil  Effects,  we  can,  through 
a  simple  process  of  deduction,  ascertain  and  put 
into  operation  Causes  that  will  produce  oppo- 
site Effects.  Thus  is  the  matter  reduced  to  a 
simple  mathematical  proposition !  We  will  then 
deal  with  a  practicability,  not  a  fancy. 

God  in  his  infinite  Wisdom  made  every  whole 
composed  of  at  least  two  parts,  which  are 
termed  the  Positive  and  Negative  elements  of 
the  thing,  whatever  it  may  be.  It  is  the  union 
of  the  Two  that  makes  the  thing,  and  the  thing 
differs  from  either  of  its  parts.  Therein  we 
find  the  Principle  of  the  Trinity. 

The  great  subject  or  science  of  Economics  is 
composed  of  two  elements ;  one  is  Positive,  the 
other  Negative:  one  is  Production,  the  other 

34 


LIGHT  IS  NEEDED 

Utilization.  Without  Production  there  could 
be  no  Utilization ;  and  without  Utilization  there 
would  be  no  Production. 

The  problem  of  Production  is  easy;  it  is  the 
problem  of  equitable  Distribution  and  conse- 
quent Utilization  that  is  all  important  at  the 
present  time.  Light  is  needed  for  the  illumina- 
tion of  this  all  important  subject  and  it  will  be 
given  in  the  following  chapters. 

The  individual  is  usually  so  occupied  with 
his  own  personal  affairs  that  he  gives  little  or 
no  thought  or  heed  to  the  Universal.  If  he  is 
doing  well  in  business  he,  as  a  rule,  is  content 
with  the  prevailing  conditions.  If,  on  the  con- 
trary, he  is  a  victim  of  adverse  circumstances 
— of  poverty — he  becomes  more  than  ever  a 
slave  to  conditions,  and  while  he  is  not  content, 
still  he  is  so  occupied  with  seeking  bread  that 
he  seldom  takes  his  eyes  off  the  ground;  and 
if  one  would  know  he  must  needs  look  up. 

The  great  commercial  Tree  is  made  up  of 
various  infintesimal  parts,  and  each  one  of  these 
parts  is  called  a  "transaction."  The  parties 
to  a  transaction  seldom,  if  ever,  gaze  beyond 
the  narrow  confines  of  their  own  horizon.  "What 
they  do  is  practically  unknown  to  the  balance, 
while  what  the  balance  do  is  practically  un- 
known to  them.  Such  methods  we  may  justly 
term  haphazard.  Men  are  doing  something,  but 
they  do  not  know  what  they  are  doing. 

In  the  following  pages  some  of  the  results 
35 


METAMORPHOSE 

of  these  haphazard  methods  will  be  presented 
for  your  contemplation  and  amazement,  ana 
the  whole  process  will  be  analyzed  in  such  a 
manner  that  you  should  be  able  to  contemplate 
** business"  from  the  standpoint  of  the  Uni- 
versal. 

Is  it  not  time  that  people  understand  what 
they  are  doing  as  a  whole  as  well  as  individu- 
ally? 

The  Presidential  Campaign  of  1896  served 
to  call  the  attention  of  millions  of  American 
people  to  the  fact  that  the  great  question  of 
finance  is  a  mighty  subject,  and  well  worth  their 
notice.  That ' '  Campaign  of  Education ' '  should 
have  taught  another  lesson  also — the  lesson  of 
Utility — which  is  of  even  more  importance  than 
the  simple  knowledge  of  what  ''money"  is  and 
of  what  it  is  made. 

On  this  matter,  also,  light  is  needed  and  will 
be  given. 

To  the  individual  who  has  persisted  to  this 
point,  sufficient  has  been  said  to  impress  upon 
him  the  importance  of  Education  on  this  sub- 
ject, and  this  brief  treatise  is  an  earnest  effort 
on  the  part  of  a  fellow  traveler  along  life's 
highway  to  present  some  ideas  which  he  believes 
of  vast  importance  in  the  grand  march  of  hu- 
man progress.  The  right  to  present  them  has 
Ijcen  earned  by  many  years  devoted  to  their 
careful  investigation  and  analytical  study. 

A  work  of  this  kind  necessarily  involves  many 
38 


LIGHT  IS  NEEDED 

statements  of  fact  from  wMcli  logical  and  sci- 
entific deductions  are  made  for  the  purpose  of 
evolving  propositions  or  axioms  with  which  to 
mathematically  demonstrate  other  truths.  All 
of  the  statements  of  fact  herein  are  made  with 
the  positive  knowledge  on  the  part  of  the  writer 
that  they  are  statements  of  fact  and  not  mere 
surmises.  This  the  reader  should  bear  in  mind, 
and  he  should  either  accept  them  as  statements 
of  fact  or  clearly  prove  the  contrary.  A  fact 
is  a  result  obtained  by  logical  and  scientific  de- 
duction, and  is  either  a  condition,  an  operation, 
or  a  self-evident  truth. 

"And  who  denies  it?  But  let  him  do  it  that 
can,  and  hath  leisure;  but  he  that  trembleth, 
and  is  troubled,  and  his  heart  is  broken  within 
him,  let  him  spend  his  time  on  something  dif- 
ferent. * ' — Epietetus. 

37 


CHAPTER  II 

Present  Conditions  in  Perspective 

"A    wise    man    loveth    rebuke;    but    a    fool 
despiseth   wisdom." — Proverbs. 

The  better  class  of  current  publications  are 
teeming  with  criticisms  of  existing  conditions 
in  the  world  of  finance.  The  Era  Magazine, 
Everybody's,  Tom  Watson's,  McClure's,  Pear- 
son's, the  Saturday  Evening  Post,  Success,  and 
numerous  other  publications  are  pointing  out 
various  conditions  of  gross  error  that  exist  in 
** Government"  and  ''business,"  but  none  of 
them  have  yet  attempted  to  set  forth  the  basic 
cause  or  causes  which  produce  these  conditions, 
nor  have  they  attempted  to  suggest  a  rational 
and  feasible  Remedy. 

Of  all  these  various  publications  that  are 
arousing  people  to  a  slight  understanding  of 
the  magnitude  of  the  existing  evils,  Every- 
body's probably  takes  the  lead  because  of  the 
clear  cut  ideas  presented  in  its  columns  by  two 
of  the  most  powerful  writers  of  the  present 
day,  Thomas  W.  Lawson  and  Charles  Edward 
Russell. 

Mr.  Lawson 's  Frenzied  Finance  stamps  him 

38 


CONDITIONS  IN  PERSPECTIVE 

as  being  one  of  the  greatest  men  of  the  day.  In 
reference  to  him  people  often  remark  that  he 
has  ''wonderful  facility  of  expression,"  which 
is  true,  but  these  same  individuals  are  very  apt 
to  overlook  the  fact  that  before  one  can  have 
''wonderful  facility  of  expression,"  he  must 
have  Ideas  back  of  it.  Expression  emanates 
from  Ideas.  All  there  is  to  human  consciousness 
is  Ideas.  The  greater  and  more  diversified  the 
Ideas,  the  greater  the  consciousness,  and  conse- 
quently the  greater  the  individual.  Mr.  Law- 
son's  consciousness  being  clear  and  forcible,  it 
presents  its  Ideas  in  a  manner  clear  cut  and 
forcible.  He  is  absolutely  fearless,  sincerely 
honest,  and  honestly  sincere,  which  must  be  self- 
evident  to  any  person  who  judges  the  Tree  by 
its  fruit.  He  is  pointing  out  certain  evil  con- 
ditions— Effects — with  a  wand  of  fire,  and  his 
words  have  been  burned  on  the  minds  of  many 
thousands  of  people.  Developments  are  em- 
phasizing the  fact  that,  while  his  pictures  are 
drawn  true  to  life,  his  pen  is  as  inadequate  to 
express  the  real  life  and  action  in  the  picture 
as  the  painter's  brush  is  inadequate  to  express 
the  groans  and  mental  anguish  of  a  battle  field. 

Mr.  Lawson  has  promised  us  a  Eemedy  for 
the  evils  he  discloses,  and  we  must  wait  pati- 
ently until  the  time  arrives  for  it  to  be  revealed 
before  we  can  analyze  it  to  determine  whether 
or  not  it  be  feasible  and  scientific,  and  whether 

39 


METAMORPHOSE 

or  not  we  can  be  of  any  assistance  in  its  appli- 
cation. 

It  is  probable  that  the  average  person  who 
reads  Frenzied  Finance  does  not  realize  that 
the  conditions  Mr.  Lawson  exposes  m  Wall 
Street,  prevail,  in  but  a  lesser  degree,  in  every 
city,  town,  and  village  in  the  country ;  and  that 
if  he  has  discovered  the  true  universal  Remedy, 
the  results  of  its  ajoplication  will  purge  grab 
and  graft  from  the  land,  and  will  revolutionize 
modern  commercialism. 

The  true  Remedy  will  solve  the  great  problem 
of  equitable  wealth  distribution  and  consequent- 
ly the  great  problem  of  Poverty,  and  will  teach 
men  the  wisdom  of  working  for  the  work's  sake 
instead  of  for  the  dollar's  sake.  Any  Remedy 
that  fails  to  accomplish  this  would  be  deficient 
in  exact  proportion  as  it  falls  short  of  this  re- 
sult. A  dose  of  morphine  will  not  cure  neural- 
gia.   Temporary  relief  is  not  a  cure. 

There  can  be  no  Effect  without  a  Cause.  Pres- 
ent commercial  evils  are  very  deep  rooted  and 
the  process  of  grubbing  them  out  will  be  slow 
and  tedious.  Practically  everyone  is  in  the  op- 
pressive grasp  of  Modern  Commercialism. 

Modern  Commercialism  does  not  consist 
alone  in  the  articles  and  commodities,  the  rail- 
roads and  steamboats,  the  farms  and  the  mines, 
and  all  the  various  things  that  man  utilizes  for 
his  welfare;  nor  does  it  consist  of  the  people 
who  comprise   the  present   population  of  the 

40 


CONDITIONS  IN  PERSPECTIVE 

earth;  but  it  is  a  sordid  system  of  swapping 
wherein  ''profit"  is  obtained  through  deception, 
without  regard  to  the  advantageous  utility  of 
the  things  for  the  welfare  of  the  people.  This 
is  possibly  best  exemplified  by  modern  scientific 
food  adulteration  whereby  men  deliberately 
poison  their  fellow-beings  for  hire — for  the 
''money"  they  can  "make"  out  of  it. 

It  should  not  be  understood  that  no  good  has 
accrued  to  humanity  through  this  mad  race  for 
dollars,  for  it  has  served  to  develop  the  inven- 
tive faculty  of  men  in  the  creation  of  marvelous 
machinery  to  assist  human  hands  in  the  great 
process  of  Production,  and  the  making  of  other 
contrivances  for  the  convenience  and  welfare 
of  the  people. 

The  human  race  may  be  likened  to  a  great 
river  system,  wherein  new  water  is  constantly 
arriving  at  the  source  while  the  old  is  being 
discharged  at  the  mouth.  Without  new  water 
the  river  would  run  dry.  The  people  who  oc- 
cupy the  earth  today  are  but  transients  who 
are  soon  to  depart.  The  existence  of  the  Race 
as  a  whole  depends  upon  what  they  secure  or 
produce  collectively  through  or  from  Nature, 
and  continued  effort  is  necessary  to  supply 
their  wants.  The  work  of  the  whole  is  the  ag- 
gregate work  of  the  individuals.  Each  succeed- 
ing generation  is  under  tremendous  obligations 
to  the  preceding  ones. 

When  the  individual  labors  and  changes  some 

41 


METAMORPHOSE 

of  Nature's  material  into  food,  clothing,  ma- 
chinery, buildings,  furniture,  etc.,  or  when  he 
does  anything  else  for  the  welfare  of  mankind, 
he  benefits  the  race  in  proportion  to  the  results 
accomplished  by  him,  and  the  balance  of  man- 
kind are  then  under  obligation  to  him  in  exact 
proportion  to  what  he  accomplishes.  Genera- 
tions yet  unborn  will  share  in  the  benefits  that 
Edison  is  conferring  on  the  race. 

Since  the  needs  and  desires  of  the  modern 
individual  are  greatly  diversified,  involving  the 
present  necessities,  comforts,  and  luxuries  of 
life,  he  is  constantly  under  obligation  to  others, 
and  what  he  receives  is  the  result  of  the  effort 
and  labor  of  many  hands  and  brains  besides  his 
own. 

No  individual  can  possibly,  within  the  narrow 
limits  of  a  life  time,  without  the  aid  of  others, 
make  himself  a  modern  suit  of  clothing  or  build 
himself  a  modern  residence, — to  say  nothing  of 
the  greater  conveniences,  such  as  railroad, 
street  car  systems,  etc. — since  this  would  in- 
volve him  in  the  work  already  accomplished  by 
many  preceding  generations.  The  discovery  of 
iron  and  its  utility,  for  instance,  lies  far  in  the 
past. 

To  reduce  this  to  a  simple  comprehensive 
proposition  we  may  state  that  each  individual 
is  practically  absolutely  dependent  on  others 
during  his  journey  from  the  cradle  to  the  grave. 

Away    back    in    the    past    somewhere    was 

42 


CONDITIONS  IN  PERSPECTIVE 

evolved  a  plan  whereby  these  various  obliga- 
tions could  be  easily  and  rapidly  cancelled  by 
a  universal  commodity,  which  in  our  language 
bears  the  name  of  "money."  Time  brings  pro- 
gress and  from  a  crude  beginning  the  present 
financial  plan  is  the  result,  wherein  ''credit," 
or  the  representation  of  ''dollars"  on  paper, 
and  not  the  "dollars"  themselves,  is  the  prim- 
ary factor  in  "business." 

Trusting  that  this  brief  reference  to  the  con- 
nection and  relation  of  obligations  and 
"money"  will  make  plain  the  fact  that  a  "dol- 
lar" in  the  possesion  of  an  individual  simply 
represents  a  "dollar's  worth"  of  something 
coming,  we  can  now  proceed  with  the  analyza- 
tion  of  present  conditions. 

"Business"  is  a  name  we  have  given  to  the 
customary  method  or  manner  of  swapping  or 
exchanging  obligations,  and,  in  its  present  state, 
it  is  a  relic  of  barbarism,  as  it  is  but  a  modifi- 
cation of  the  old  feudal  system  wherein  the 
feudal  lord  ' '  treated  his  tenants  and  villiens  as 
a  part  of  his  stock.".  As  an  example,  consider 
the  modern  Trust  wherein  practically  one  man 
can  withhold  a  commodity  that  is  absolutely 
necessary  for  mankind's  welfare,  if  not  exist- 
ence, unless  the  people  pay  the  ransom,  or,  in 
other  words,  contribute  to  him  the  representa- 
tion of  obligations  to  the  extent  of  millions  and 
millions  of  "dollars."  In  order  to  maintain 
the  value  and  integrity  of  the  "dollar"  these 

43 


METAMORPHOSE 

obligations  must  he  cancelled!  Having  thus 
placed  millions  of  men  under  obligation  to  him, 
he  becomes,  imder  the  present  plan,  their  abso- 
lute master,  and  they  serve  him  in  the  various 
capacities  of  sub-lords,  overseers,  collectors, 
menials  and  serfs.    The  analogy  is  plain. 

The  fault,  however,  is  not  with  the  man,  any 
more  than  it  was  in  the  old  days.  His  love  of 
power,  his  environment,  his  blindness  and  his 
other  weaknesses  must  be  considered.  He  can't 
resist  the  siren's  voice. 

The  fault  is  in  our  method  or  manner  of  "bus- 
iness," which,  sooner  or  later,  will  be  replaced 
by  a  better,  nobler  System.  Bellamy's  vision  in 
Looking  Backward  will  materialize.  He  will 
some  day  be  regarded  as  a  Prophet.  People 
will  finally  recognize  what  a  really  splendid 
tool  man  has  devised  in  ''money,"  the  symbol 
of  obligations.  They  will  comprehend  its  true 
function,  and  thus  settle  the  Trust  question,  the 
Tariff  question,  the  Labor  question  with  its 
strikes  and  lockouts,  and  all  these  various  prob- 
lems that  demand  and  insist  upon  a  solution  be- 
fore harmony  can  be  brought  out  of  the  exist- 
ing discordant  conditions.  Man  alone  is  out  of 
tune,  out  of  harmony,  with  the  natural  order 
of  things.  But  he  will  not  always  rebel  against 
that  Divine  Law  which  Christ  said  was  like  un- 
to and  equal  to  the  first  great  Law.  He  will 
eventually  perceive  how  much  more  natural  and 

44 


CONDITIONS  IN  PERSPECTIVE 

enjoyable  existence  will  be  when  the  Golden 
Eule  is  universally  practiced. 

Under  the  existing  customs,  the  spirit  of 
spoliation, — of  plunder — pervades  and  satur- 
ates the  whole  body  politic,  and  the  "legiti- 
mate" processes  of  extracting  money  from  the 
other  fellow  are  various  and  ingenious.  Some 
of  them  are  simply  nefarious,  like  a  blackmail- 
ing or  slandering  newspaper,  for  instance, 
which  actually  "sells"  its  sickening  mental  poi- 
son to  its  devotees  who  habitually  crave  the 
' '  dope. ' ' 

The  modern  business  rule  is,  "get  all  you  can 
and  give  as  little  as  possible."  The  God  of  the 
modern  "business"  individual  is  spelled  G-E-T, 
instead  of  G-o-d. 

"Money-making"  is  a  misnomer;^ ^money-get- 
ting" is  the  proper  phrase.  No  man  "makes" 
money; — he  "gets"  money.  Men  are  sent  to 
prison  for  making  money.  Many  other  similar 
phrases  have  been  coined  and  have  come  into 
universal  use  for  the  sole  purpose  of  making 
"money  getting"  as  a  profession,  respectable. 

Such  phrases  as  "earning  power  of  money," 
"earning  capacity,"  "legitimate  profit,"  "val- 
ue received,"  etc.,  are  misapplied  statements. 

For  instance,  there  is  no  such  thing  as  the 
"earning  power  of  money."  Money  is  inani- 
mate and  has  no  inherent  power.  Men  can  move 
a  dollar  over  and  over  again  under  the  "profit" 
system,  and  make  it  repeat  itself  in  cumulating 

45 


METAMORPHOSE 

''Credit";    but    men    do  that,— the  ''aoUars" 
don't. 

''Earning  capacity"  in  business  is  simply  the 
capacity  for  swapping  things  for  "money"  so 
as  to  get  the  best  of  the  bargain. 

"Legitimate  profit"  is  any  amount  of  tribute 
that  can  be  exacted  by  one  individual  from  an- 
other without  using  force  or  other  means  ex- 
pressly contrary  to  provisions  in  legal  enact- 
ments. 

"Value  received"  is  usually  a  "gold  brick'* 
phrase  handed  to  the  unsophisticated  to  cover 
up  the  fact  that  tribute  has  been  or  is  being 
levied. 

Blindly  and  frantically  men  are  rushing  to 
and  fro  in  a  mad  scramble  for  "dollars,"  the 
attainment  of  which  they  call  ' '  Success. "  It  is 
appalling  to  think  that  man,  in  his  consumate 
ignorance,  has  consigned  himself  to  a  condition 
of  abject  slavery,  but  such  is  the  case;  and  his 
inexorable  master  is  named  Material  Gain ! 

Possibly  the  best  illustration  of  the  modern 
conception  of  "Success"  is  obtained  from  th« 
following  extract  from  a  leading  editorial  of  a 
great  modern  newspaper: 

Try  to  Analyze  Yourself — Be  Your  Own- 
Chemist. 

Mr.  E.  J.  Carson  writes  a  letter,  asking  vari- 
ous questions.    Here  is  an  extract : 
"Will  you  write  on  the  following: 
46 


CONDITIONS  IN  PERSPECTIVE 

"What  are  the  qualities  that  make  for  suc- 
cess?" 

"How  can  one  find  out  the  work  one  can  best 
do?" 

Mr.  Carson  is  one  of  about  eighty  millions  of 
Americans  that  are  asking  "How  can  I  suc- 
ceed?" 

******* 

It  is  The  American  question.  Magazines  are 
published  simply  to  answer  that  question.  All 
millionaires  are  begged  to  answer  it,  over  their 
signatures.  Clergymen  deal  with  it  occasion- 
ally. Modern  college  presidents  make  it  their 
specialty. — (San  Francisco  Examiner,  Oct.  5th, 
1904.) 

There  you  have  it — Success! 

What  is  modem  "Success"?  It  is  the  ac- 
quirement of  material  things — "ownership"  of 
lands,  buildings,  furniture,  merchandise,  evi- 
dences of  indebtedness,  such  as  stocks,  bonds, 
mortgages,  notes,  "bank  deposits,"  etc.,  things 
which  are  of  little  or  no  actual  value  to  the  in- 
dividual who  possesses  them  except  as  he  util- 
izes them  for  the  necessities  and  comforts  of 
this  short  life  and  for  his  spiritual  upbuilding 
or  expansion. 

The  average  "successful"  individual  today 
is  one  who  has  acquired  titles  to  various 
"goods"  and  "chattels,"  which  he  sincerely 
hopes  he  will  never  he  obliged  to  use!  His 
whole  desire  is  to  keep  and  hoard  what  he  has 
and  get  more,  which,  in  turn,  will  be  of  no  prac- 

47 


METAMORPHOSE 

tical  use  or  benefit  to  him  because  this  also  he 
seeks  for  the  sole  purpose  of  keeping  or  hoard- 
ing. He  has  no  intention  of  utilizing  it  for  any 
purpose,  except  as  an  instrument  with  which 
to  get  more.  And  so  on  and  on,  year  in  and 
year  out.  He  thus  enslaves  himself  for  the 
period  of  his  natural  life,  and  when  he  dies,  this 
*' successful"  individual  has  the  ''satisfaction" 
of  leaving  his  heirs  ''comfortable,"  and  the 
heirs,  after  making  the  usual  division  with  the 
lawyers,  courts,  etc.,  take  their  various  portions 
and  enslave  themselves  in  exactly  the  same  man- 
ner ;  that  is,  they  have  no  idea  of  using  this  that 
was  left  them  for  any  other  purpose  than  sim- 
ply as  an  aid  to  get  more,  thus  repeating  the 
process  of  their  predecessor;  and  they,  in  turn, 
have  the  same  "satisfaction"  when  they  die,  as 
did  he;  that  is,  if  they  are  "successful." 

History  informs  us  that  we  have  had  various 
"ages"  in  man's  evolution  from  a  low  state  to 
a  higher  one.  The  present  age  is  the  age  of 
"Commercialism."  It  is  the  age  wherein  each 
individual's  whole  energy  is  expended  in  acquir- 
ing a  temporary  "deed"  to  a  portion  of  the 
earth, — a  mere  appearance  of  wealth.  History, 
however,  makes  no  record  of  his  wonderful 
"Success."  He  pursues  a  mirage.  His  life  is  a 
dismal  failure,  even  though  his  "fortune"  at 
death  be  reckoned  with  nine  figures.  No  more 
important  admonition  was  ever  given  to  hu- 
manity by  a  Master  of  Wisdom  than  Christ's 
injunction,  "Lay  not  up  for  yourselves  treas- 

48 


CONDITIONS  IN  PERSPECTIVE 

ures  upon  earth;  but  lay  up  treasures  in  heav- 
en; for  where  your  treasure  is,  there  will  your 
heart  (mind)  be  also." 

While  we  believe  that  each  individual  should 
be  surrounded  by  the  environment  best  adapted 
to  his  higher  development  and  expansion — 
music  and  art  and  books  and  brooks — accord- 
ing to  his  aspirations,  we  must  heartily  depre- 
cate the  modern  conception  of  "Success,"  es- 
pecially since  there  has  been  evolved  a  System 
under  which  men  can  so  adjust  their  obliga- 
tions to  each  other  that  there  will  be  no  neces- 
sity whatever  for  individual  accumulation  of 
vast  amounts.  Sooner  or  later  this  mad  scram- 
ble for  "wealth"  for  the  mere  sake  of  its  pos- 
session will  be  known  only  in  history.  Men  will 
learn  to  use,  to  utilize  what  they  need,  and  cast 
off  the  burden  of  the  superfluous! 

To  obtain  a  general  view  of  existing  condi- 
tions consider  the  following  facts :  Under  Na- 
ture *s  great  Law  of  Evolution  the  population 
is  constantly  increasing.  We  are  inventing 
marvelous  machinery  to  take  the  place  of  hu- 
man hands  and  thus  do  away  with  labor.  We 
have  in  operation  a  system  for  the  concentra- 
tion of  "wealth,"  or  surplus,  into  the  hands 
of  a  few  individual  members  of  the  race  whose 
greed  expands  as  their  "possessions"  increase, 
except  in  a  few  rare  cases.  Carnegie,  for  in- 
stance, reached  the  point  where  he  realized  the 
small  worth  of  vast  accumulations  of  material 

49 


METAMORPHOSE 

wealth  to  the  individual,  and  he  exclaimed  'Mt 
is  a  disgrace  for  a  man  to  die  rich." 

To  go  over  the  summary  above  briefly  once 
more: 

The  material  wealth  of  the  race  is  being  con- 
centrated into  the  hands  of  a  few ; 

The  population  is  constantly  increasing; 

We  are  doing  away  with  labor. 

It  does  not  require  much  analysis  to  perceive 
that  a  continuation  of  these  conditions  should 
not  long  endure,  and  they  2vill  not,  because 
there  is  another  element  that  is  keeping  pace 
with  other  conditions  in  the  evolution  of  the 
race  that  will  master  and  adjust  the  situation. 
This  element  is  Enlightenment,  the  mentor  of 
civilization. 

It  is  as  stupid  to  think  that  the  present  in- 
iquitous conditions  will  be  permanent  as  it 
would  be  to  think  that  the  old  feudel  system 
would  be  permanent.  A  short  fifty  years  hence 
will  see  a  mighty  change  in  the  relations  of  men 
regarding  material  things. 

The  old  plan  of  Competition — grab  and  graft 
—has  served  its  purpose.  It  has  reached  its 
zenith  when  an  individual,  under  it,  can  accu- 
mulate beyond  his  finite  conception,  and  under 
the  inexorable  Law  of  Action  and  Eeaction  it 
will  now  begin,  slowly  but  surely,  to  decay,  and 
out  of  the  decomposition  will  spring  its  suc- 
cessor.* 

In  the  human  mind  new  Ideas  are  constantly 

*See  Note  (g)  Appendix. 

50 


CONDITIONS  IN  PERSPECTIVE 

displacing  the  old.  Enlightenment  is  the  con- 
stant succession  of  new  Ideas  coming  into  the 
consciousness  of  the  race. 

This  does  not  necessarily  imply  that  human 
consciousness  or  comprehension  is  developed 
alike  in  each  individual  member  of  the  human 
family,  because  there  are  always  pioneers  in 
the  field  of  thought,  as  there  are  pioneers  in 
the  material  world,  who  go  out  into  the  wilder- 
ness and  blaze  the  trails  which  afterward  de- 
velop into  roads  and  highways,  which  become 
commonplace  by  usage. 

There  has  recently  been  evolved  a  great  sys- 
tem of  Education,  whereby  the  people  may 
have  presented  to  them  for  their  profit  and  ad- 
vantage the  advanced  thoughts  of  the  pioneer 
workers  for  World  Betterment,  and  this  educa- 
tional work  carries  with  it  a  scientific  System 
of  Economics  which  will  eventually  free  each 
persistent  co-worker  from  the  bonds  of  mater- 
ial slavery  with  which  the  old  conditions  bind 
him. 

This  new  System  complies  with  Natural  Law 
and  contemplates  both  mental  andmaterial  free- 
dom for  its  votaries,  and  the  purpose  of  this 
volume  is  to  call  the  attention  of  a  few  think- 
ers to  the  fact  that  the  present  disease  of  the 
body  politic  has  been  scientifically  diagnosed, 
the  Cause  located,  and  a  Remedy  prepared 
which  will  restore  a  natural  and  healthy  con- 
dition. 

"But  whatever  it  be  that  afflicts  ns,  it  is 
to  that  thing  that  the  remedy  is  to  be  ap- 
plied. ' ' — Epictetus. 

51 


CHAPTER  III. 

The  Cause  of  Prevailing  Conditions. 

"He  that  loveth  silver  shall  not  be  satisfied 
with  silver;  nor  he  that  loveth  abundance  with 
increase. ' ' — Ecclesiastes. 

We  have  said  that  the  sohition  of  the  prob- 
lem of  Production  is  easy.  The  problem  of 
Distribution  and  Utilization  is  difficult  only  be- 
cause of  man's  propensity  to  hoard.  Hoarding 
and  non-utility  are  practically  the  same. 

This  trait  of  hoarding  is  a  half-breed  made 
up  of  equal  parts  of  Greed  and  Fear. 

Since  Greed  now  makes  his  entrance,  it  is 
well  for  us  to  describe  him  and  set  forth  his  po- 
sition in  the  family  so  that  we  will  understand 
his  relations.  He  is  a  twin  brother  of  Fear  and 
is,  consequently,  a  grand-child  of  Ignorance 
and  the  direct  offspring  of  Selfishness.*  Greed 
has  a  far  more  hideous  personality  than  Fear. 
He  is  utterly  devoid  of  love  or  charity  or  good- 
will. He  is  thoroughly  and  heartily  malicious. 
His  face,  with  glowering  eyes  of  malice;  his  yel- 
low fanglike  teeth  protruding  from  his  rapa- 

See  Note  (b)  Appendix. 

52 


CAUSE  OF  PREVAILING  CONDITIONS 

cious  mouth;  his  leaden  pallor  and  generally 
distorted  visage  make  him  repulsive  beyond  de- 
scription. His  physique  is  powerful;  arms  of 
exceeding  length,  and  fingers  long,  sinuous,  and 
grasping.  He  stalks  about  in  a  stooping  pos- 
ture, glaring  eagerly  about  for  ought  that  he 
can  secure. 

Fear  appears  almost  the  antithesis  of  his 
brother  Greed.  His  timorous  eyes  are  always 
filled  with  apprehension  of  an  impending  dan- 
ger, and  he  is  altogether  a  picture  of  piteous 
fright.  The  most  trivial  occurrence  throws 
him  into  a  palsied  panic.  He  is  so  cowardly 
weak  that  he  is  despicable,  repulsive,  and  even 
uauseating. 

Greed  and  Fear  are  the  evil  spirits— basic 
Causes — which  have  produced  the  Effects  out- 
lined heretofore,  and  we  daily  come  in  contact 
with  their  degenerating  influence.)( 

There  is  a  little  word  of  three  letters  which 
stands  for  one  of  the  most  tremendous  and  im- 
portant Principles  in  the  Universe.  The  word 
itself  is  not  generally  considered  of  any  great 
importance,  and  all  because  the  impoit  of  the 
Principle  for  which  it  stands  has  not  become 
apparent  to  the  race.  The  little  word  is  spelled 
U-S-E.  Just  stop  a  moment  and  let  your  per- 
ception proceed  to  the  very  bounderies  of  your 
conception  of  the  great  Order  of  Things  and  see 
if  you  do  not  find  that  little  word,  or  the  Prin- 

53 


METAMORPHOSE 

ciple  for  which  it  stands,  everywhere  present 
and  everywhere  dominant. 

You  cannot  conceive  of  a  thing  in  Nature, 
however  small  or  insignificant,  that  is  not  be- 
ing utilized,  or  undergoing  a  change  to  make  it 
useful. 

Hoarding  is  the  polar  opposite  of  Utility,  and 
is  evil  in  exact  proportion  as  Utility  is  good! 
Intelligent  Utility  is  a  thing  of  Wisdom;  while 
sordid  hoarding  is  of  Ignorance.  Intelligent 
Utility  is  Divine;  while  ignorant  hoarding  is 
nefarious. 

To  the  Supreme  Mind,  hoarding  is  most  rep- 
rehensible, and  it  was  therefore  decreed  that 
hoarding  must  always  succumb  to  inevitable 
disintegration.  To  this  end  Supreme  Wisdom 
has  provided  the  moth,  rust,  decay,  spoliation, 
etc.  The  spoil  of  the  robber  is  invariably  the 
surplus  of  the  robbed.  Whatever  is  builded  is 
sooner  or  later  torn  down.  The  only  permanent 
creation  is  that  accomplished  through  the  sim- 
ultaneous and  continuous  action  of  the  build- 
ing up  and  tearing  down  processes.  All  "un- 
healthy" conditions  are  caused  by  the  unbal- 
anced application  of  these  two  Principles. 

A  recent  newspaper  article  stated  that  Mr. 
Eockefeller  and  his  son  are  trying  to  solve  the 
problem  of  how  to  utilize  some  of  their  surplus 
for  the  benefit  of  mankind.  This  is  a  task  that 
should  not  be  confined  to  Mr.  Rockefeller  alone, 
since  the  problem  that  everi/  man  should  be 

54 


CAUSE  OF  PREVAILING  CONDITIONS 

studying  is,  "How  can  I  best  utilize  my  sur- 
plus for  the  benefit  of  humanity." 

The  following  is  a  pertinent  illustration  of 
the  fatuous  stupidity  of  hoarding : 

A  little  more  than  a  year  ago  a  silver  dollar, 
dated  1881,  came  into  the  author's  possession. 
It  was  much  worn,  which  indicated  that  it  had 
been  very  useful  to  the  American  people  as 
''money"  during  the  twenty-four  preceding 
years,  and  that  it  had  traveled  far  and  fast.  It 
is  a  good  dollar  and  will  pass  current  in  any 
community  in  the  United  States.  In  order  to 
illustrate  the  fatuity  of  hoarding  or  non-util- 
ity, he  placed  this  particular  dollar  in  his  pocket 
and  carried  it  for  over  a  year,  and  still  has  it 
in  his  possession.  By  doing  this  he  stopped 
the  utility  of  the  dollar,  not  only  at  a  loss  to  the 
body  politic  to  whom  all  "dollars"  belong,  but 
also  to  his  own  detriment,  since  he  forfeited 
the  utility  of  that  which  the  dollar  represents. 
Should  he  retain  the  dollar  in  his  possession 
during  the  course  of  his  life,  its  value  would 
be  utterly  lost  to  him,  while  he  would  despoil 
his  fellowmen  of  vastly  more  than  its  ostensible 
face  value,  since  the  value  of  a  "dollar"  to  the 
body  politic  increases  as  its  utility  extends.  One 
"dollar"  cancels  a  thousand  "dollars'  worth" 
of  obligations  when  it  is  moved  a  thousand 
times. 

Read  and  understand  the  Principle  of  Utility 
set  forth  in  the  Parable  of  the  Talents. 

55 


METAMORPHOSE 

Utility  is  natural.    Hoarding  is  unnatural. 

Utility  complies  with  Natural  Law.  Hoard- 
ing violates  and  opposes  Natural  Law. 

That  which  violates  Natural  Law  is  error  or 
Evil.  That  which  is  based  on  error  is  corrupt. 
Modern  Commercialism,  based  on  the  spirit  of 
Hoarding,  is,  therefore,  corrupt  and  its  fruit 
is  corrupt  fruit. 

It  may  be  well  to  call  attention  to  some  of 
the  other  errors  underlying  Modern  Commer- 
cialism and  show  their  direct  connection  with 
Greed  and  Fear,  therefore  we  ask  you  to  con- 
sider the  ''Sin  of  Separateness "  in  connection 
with  Competition. 

Competition,  as  applied  in  Modern  Commer- 
cialism, is  strife  and  contention  for  the  same 
object  at  the  same  time.  Two  boys  fighting  for 
a  marble  illustrates  it.  It  destroys  all  brother- 
ly love,  and  accomplishes  no  beneficial  results. 

It  might  be  well  in  contemplating  the  expres- 
sion "The  Sin  of  Separateness"  to  have  in 
mind  a  brick  in  a  rubbish  heap,  while  realizing 
also  that  one  brick  does  not  make  a  building. 

The  Principle  underlying  Competition  is  the 
polar  opposite  of  the  Principle  expressed  in 
the  Golden  Eule,  and  hereinafter  is  elucidated 
the  fact  that  the  Golden  Eule  is  but  the  expres- 
sion of  a  Divine  Idea  or  Law. 

Sin  or  error  is  opposition  to  Divine  Ideas. 

"When  Strife  and  Contention  are  added  t3 
the  "Sin  of  Separateness,"  we  have  the  prin- 

56 


CAUSE  OF  PREVAILING  CONDITIONS 
cipal  ingredients  of  modern  "business"  Com- 
petition. 

Does  it  seem  the  part  of  Wisdom  to  estab- 
lish strife  and  contention  as  the  proper  man- 
ner of  adjusting  our  obligations  to  each  other? 

Separateness  on  the  part  of  the  individual  is 
Selfishness,  and  it  does  not  require  a  mathe- 
matical demonstration  to  show  that  Greed  is 
the  instigator  of  the  strife  that  seeks  to  obtain 
what  another  is  endeavoring  to  get  at  the  same 
time. 

Instead  of  fighting  over  marbles,  men  fight 
over  ** dollars,"  and  the  ordinary  "business" 
individual  does  not  hesitate  at  any  of  the  little 
petty  devices  of  deception  that  are  recognized 
by  "good  business  men"  as  "good"  business 
policy. 

Eliminate  '^profit''  from  Commercialism  and 
Commercialism  tvould  cease  to  exist. 

The  entire  institution  of  Commercialism  is 
based  on  the  principle  of  continuous  and  per- 
petual swapping  at  a  "profit" — until  the  con- 
sumer is  reached,  who  derives  his  "profit" 
through  the  utilization  of  the  thing. 

The  real  principle  of  "profit"  was  clearly 
illustrated  to  us  some  years  ago  by  a  little  boy 
— a  little  ragged  urchin — ^who  was  selling 
matches. 

"Do  you  want  to  buy  some  matches?" 

"How  much  are  your  matches  a  packagef" 

"Ten  cents  a  package," 
57 


METAMORPHOSE 

"I  can  go  to  the  store  and  buy  those  matches 
for  five  cents  a  package." 

'*I  know  it,"  was  his  honest  reply. 

''"Why  do  you  want  me  to  pay  you  ten  cents 
for  them,  when  I  can  buy  them  for  five  cents?" 

''So  I  can  make  something  on  them!" 

His  last  reply  was  uttered  with  childish 
frankness,  without  effort  at  deception,  and  we 
did  not  appreciate  its  full  significance  until  af- 
ter he  had  departed,  else  we  should  have  pur- 
chased all  of  the  matches  and  given  him  many 
times  his  price,  instead  of  buying  but  one  pack- 
age, for  he  had  given  us  an  illustration  of 
"profit"  such  as  we  had  been  seeking  for  a 
number  of  years. 

"Profit  is  Chaeity  in  Disguise,  and  it  is  the 

ONE    beneficent   ELEMENT    OF    MoDERN    COMMER- 
CIALISM. 

Charity  is  animated  by  the  noble  principle  of 
mutual  benefit — Universal  Love!  By  it  alone 
Modern  Commercialism  exists.  Through  it 
alone  can  Co-operation  be  established! 

Modern  Commercialism  inverts  or  reverses 
the  application  of  this  noble  Principle. 

How?    You  shall  see: 

Modern  Commercialism  is  based  on  Decep- 
tion, necessarily. 

Why?  Because  the  bestowing  of  benefits  un- 
der that  plan  is  not  voluntary.  "Cost"  marks 
on  merchandise  are  secret — the  spurious  is  gild- 
ed for  appearance's  sake — the  best  is  put  on 

58 


CAUSE  OF  PREVAILING  CONDITIONS 

top,  etc.  Various  deceptions  are  practiced  to 
hide  the  "profit." 

New  deceptions  are  daily  invented  and  eager- 
ly sought  by  the  "trade."  If  you  are  a  "busi- 
ness" man,  you  know  that  you  do  not  dare 
publish  your  "  profit  "  on  each  article  you 
"sell." 

If,  then,  "profits"  (benefits)  are  not  given 
voluntarily,  they  are  taken  by  deception  under 
the  piratic  rule  of  take  which  reads : 

''Get  all  you  can  and  give  as  little  as  possi- 
ble." 

Practically  all  persons  today  are  engaged  in 
a  mad  race  for  "dollar"  accumulation  under 
the  banner  of  Deception — some  are  crawling  on 
their  hands  and  knees,  some  are  walking,  some 
are  running,  and  some  are  using  various  kinds 
of  conveyances,  slow  and  fast.  Many  have  fallen 
by  the  wayside  and  a  few  are  mangled  and  torn 
by  the  cruel  wheel  or  laid  low  by  the  bandits  that 
lurk  in  the  shadows.  More  oftetl,  however,  the 
worst  highwaymen  ride  in  the  most  up-to-date 
vehicles.  The  mildest  picture  of  this  idiotic 
scramble  that  could  be  drawn  would  be  full  of 
horror.  It  has  converted  this  beautiful  earth 
into  a  slaughter  pen. 

We  maintain  that  there  is  a  better,  simpler 
way — a  way  of  Peace — a  road  that  is  grand  and 
beautiful — that  is  not  infested  with  banditti, 
and  where  each  wayfarer  has  equal  rights  and 
privileges  with  his  fellow  travelers. 

59 


METAMORPHOSE 

Under  the  new  intelligent  System  the  great 
Principle  of  Mutual  Benefit  is  applied  under  the 
rule  which  reads : 

''All  things  whatsoever  ye  would  that  men 

SHOULD  DO  to  YOU,  DO  YE  EVEN  SO  TO  THEM/' 

Under  the  new  System  there  is  no  deception, 
no  gilding  of  the  spurious,  no  putting  the  "best 
on  top. ' '  The  ' '  profit ' '  is  known  to  each  partici- 
pant.   Nothing  is  hidden. 

If  the  Principle  of  "profit"  or  Mutual  Benefit 
is  good — if  Charity  is  good — why  should  there 
be  deception  in  its  application? 

"Use    brings    Gain.      Hoarding    brings    Loss." — Mul- 
ford. 


CHAPTER  IV 

Turning  on  the  Light 

' '  Therefore,  I  write  these  things  being  absent, 
lest,  being  present,  I  should  use  sharpness, 
according  to  the  power  which  the  Lord  hath 
given  me  to  edification,  and  not  to  destruc- 
tion."— 2  Corinthians. 

The  rules  of  conduct  laid  down  by  the  higli 
priests  of  Mammon — officials — provide  certain 
penalties  to  be  meted  out  to  those  sacrili- 
geous  ones  who  have  the  temerity  to  desecrate 
the  popular  Idol.  Woe  be  unto  him  who  dares 
to  assert  and  demonstrate  that  the  Golden  Calf 
is  now  old  enough  to  be  an  Ox,  which  should  be 
broken  to  the  yoke  and  taught  his  place  as  the 
servant  of  man.  He  will  be  haled  into  court  at 
the  instigation  of  some  District  Attorney  and 
tried  for  trampling  on  the  ** peace  and  dignity'* 
of  the  people.  In  his  'Hrial"  the  judge  will 
''rule  out"  everything  that  savors  of  intelli- 
gence or  reason,  and  everything  pertinent  to 
the  real  question,  and  instruct  the  figure-head 
jury  to  bring  in  a  verdict  of  guilty  as  charged, 
and  then  proceed  to  fix  the  punishment  of  the 
impious  offender. 

61 


METAMORPHOSE 

Did  it  ever  occur  to  you  how  zealous  some 
persons  are  to  restrict  to  the  narrow  bound- 
aries of  their  own  intelligence  the  actions  of 
other  people,  and  especially  with  respect  to 
the  use  the  other  fellow  shall  make  of  his  own 
dollars?  The  average  "judge"  does  not  know 
the  first  principles  of  finance,  yet  he  will  gravely 
and  ponderously  deliver  himself  of  a  nonsen- 
sical financial  '^ opinion"  that  other  judges,  who 
possibly  have  no  "opinions"  of  their  own,  will 
use  as  a  "precedent"  for  the  next  fifty  yearss. 
If  a  judge  were  made  to  suffer  for  every  injus- 
tice he  inflicts  on  others,  he  would  probably 
have  more  respect  for  Truth  and  Justice  and 
less  for  stupid  "precedent"  than  he  has  now. 

A  judge,  however,  is  merely  human  and  is 
subject  to  human  nescience  and  consequent  ail- 
ments and  idiosyncracies.  Even  under  normal 
conditions  he  is  as  apt  to  be  mistaken  as  any 
other  individual,  but  when  he  allows  himself  to 
be  guided  by  the  blunders  of  others,  he  is  usually 
a  paragon  of  incompetence  for  the  trying  po- 
sition he  holds. 

The  framers  of  the  Constitution  of  the  United 
States  conferred  a  lasting  benefit  upon  poster- 
ity when  they  provided  that  every  citizen 
should  have  the  right  of  free  speech.  You  can 
discuss  the  Idol  and  its  characteristics,  if  yon 
choose,  without  running  the  risk  of  being  con= 
signed  to  a  dungeon. 

62 


TURNING  ON  THE  LIGHT 

Let  us  take  advantage  of  this  right,  and  ana- 
lyze the  relationship  of  the  Almighty  Dollar  to 
Man,   its   creator. 

It  may  be  well  at  first  to  call  attention  to  the 
fact  that  neither  a  dollar  nor  a  car-load  of 
dollars  is  either  the  "measure  of  value"  or  the 
"unit  of  value,"  because  Value  is  a  thing  in- 
tangible and  cannot  be  measured.  It  has  no 
unit.  The  value  of  any  article  or  commodity 
consists  of  its  beneficial  utility.  The  assertion 
that  money  is  the  "medium  of  exchange"  is 
probably  correct,  but  is  not  sufficiently  lucid. 
Often  dollars  are  bestowed  where  there  is  no 
exchange. 

"DOLLAKS"  AEE  THE  SYMBOLS  OF  OBLIGATIONS 
OR  DEBTS. 

A  "dollar"  in  the  possession  of  an  indi- 
vidual simply  represents  that  the  balance  of 
mankind  is  under  obligation  to  or  indebted  to 
him  to  the  extent  of  a  "dollar's  worth"  of  the 
necessities,  comforts,  or  luxuries  of  life.  It  is 
so  much  universal  "credit"  on  his  ledger  ac- 
count with  the  balance  of  mankind. 

When  an  individual  has  a  "dollar's  worth" 
of  something  coming  from  another  particular 
individual  he  is  very  restless  until  it  comes  into 
his  possession,  or  at  least  he  endeavors  to 
secure  it  at  the  earliest  possible  moment.  This 
"dollar's  worth"  of  something  coming  may  be 
represented  on  either  metal  or  paper.  In  fact, 

63 


METAMORPHOSE 

it  is  usually  an  actual  ''dollar."  When  one 
person  cancels  his  obligation  to  another  person 
by  means  of  "dollars"  he  simply  transforms 
individual  credit  to  universal  credit. 

When  an  individual  deposits  "dollars"  in  a 
bank  he  transforms  his  universal  credit  to  indi- 
vidual credit  again! 

It  is  amusing  to  watch  the  mental  contor- 
tions of  people  in  playing  this  oscillating  game 
of  wibble-wabble !  Smith  makes  himself  miser- 
able until  he  collects  from  Jones  so  that  he  may 
"deposit"  the  amount  in  "the  bank." 

When  a  bank  loans  money  out,  it  transforms 
its  universal  credit  to  individual  credit. 

When  an  individual  "deposits"  one  hundred 
dollars  in  a  bank  and  the  bank  loans  that  hun- 
dred dollars  to  another  individual,  then  the  "de- 
positor's" universal  credit  is  transformed  into 
individual  credit  twice  removed! 

"Credit,"  in  the  sense  that  we  here  use 
it,  is  that  thing  or  condition  which  is  created 
by  "Debit" — Debt  or  Obligation.  This  is  the 
only  true  "Credit,"  although  the  word  is  some- 
times used  in  this  sense:  "Your  credit  is  good 
at  Smith's."  Analyzed,  this  expression  simply 
means  that  Smith  is  willing,  for  a  consider- 
ation, that  you  become  indebted  to  him. 

The  foundation  or  unit  of  the  monetary 
system  of  the  United  States  is  an  imaginanj 
unit  described  in  a  statute  law  which  says  that 

64 


TURNING  ON  THE  LIGHT 

a  dollar  shall  be  of  the  value  of  23.22  grains  of 
pure  gold*.  The  astute  law-makers  do  not 
specify  just  what  the  "value"  of  23.22  grains 
of  pure  gold  is,  however.  They  probably  did 
not  think  of  that;  but  then,  they  are  not  sup- 
posed to  think.  Their  duty  is  simply  to  make 
"laws."  This  statute  law  is  followed  by  other 
statute  laws  setting  forth  the  manner  in  which 
this  imaginary  unit  shall  be  symbolized  in  vari- 
ous denominations  and  fractions  thereof  by 
means  of  metal  and  paper.  One  thousand  dol- 
lars, whether  in  one  piece  or  a  thousand  pieces 
of  metal  or  paper,  are  but  one  thousand  repe- 
titions of  the  representation  of  the  imaginary 
unit. 

Since  the  "value"  of  23.22  grains  of  pure 
gold  is  extremely  indefinite,  it  is  somewhat 
difficult  to  arrive  at  the  exact  "value"  of  one 
thousand  "dollars"  by  using  a  small  piece  of 
this  particular  metal  as  a  "measure."  The 
real  value  of  dollars  lies  in  their  utility,  as  will 
be  clearly  demonstrated  in  a  succeeding 
chapter. 

Since  dollars  are  the  symbols  of  obligations, 
the  "dollar"  is  also  the  "unit  of  account."  The 
record  of  all  transactions  is  therefore  kept  in 
"dollars"  and  fractions  thereof. 

"Credit"  always  represents  and  is  repre- 
sented by  so  many  "dollars"  and  differs  from 
the  actual  "dollars"  themselves  only  to  the 

*See  Note   (h)  Appendix. 

65 


METAMORPHOSE 

extent  that  its  universal  use  is  restricted.  A 
''dollar"  is  valueless  to  you  if  you  can  get 
nothing  for  it ;  so  is  ' '  credit. "  "  Credit, ' '  unde*- 
normal  conditions,  can  always  be  transformed 
into  ''dollars." 

There  are  billions  of  dollars  of  "wealth" 
that  exists  today  only  on  paper,  i.  e.,  "Credit." 
For  instance,  the  bank  "deposits"  of  the  people 
of  the  United  States  are  over  twelve  billions 
of  dollars  ($12,000,000,000)  and  there  are  less 
than  three  billions  of  actual  dollars  ($3,000,- 
000,000)  in  existence.  "A  bank  depositor  says 
he  has  money  in  the  bank,  and  actually  thinks 
he  has,  but,  in  reality,  he  has  only  a  credit  on 
the  bank  ledger  which  may  or  may  not  be  re- 
deemed like  any  other  indebtedness,  for  the 
money  in  a  bank  belongs  to  the  bank  and  is 
always  many  times  less  than  the  deposits."* 

A  "bank  deposit"  is  simply  an  evidence  of 
indebtedness  of  the  bank  to  the  depositor,  pay- 
able practically  on  demand,  sixty  days  notice 
being  the  extreme  limit.  When  we  say  that 
the  "bank  deposits"  are  twelve  billions  of 
dollars  it  is  but  another  way  of  stating  that 
the  banks  owe  their  depositors  twelve  billions 
of  dollars,  or,  four  times  the  total  number  of 
actual  dollars  in  existence,  and  this  vast 
amount  is  payable  practically  on  demand! 
Therefore,  a  persistent  run  on  a  bank — or  on 

*From  Speech  of  A.  B.  Stickney  before  Bankers'  Convention,  Mil- 
waukee,  1901. 

66 


TURNING  ON  THE  LIGHT 

all  the  banks — leaves  the  bank  but  one  alter- 
native, and  that  is  to  close  the  doors  and  refuse 
payment,  because  they  cannot  possibly  pay  out 
that  which  they  do  not  possess.  They  have 
simply  contracted  to  return  four  dollars  to 
depositors  on  demand  for  every  dollar  there  is 
in  existence — if  their  depositors  will  give  them 
time. 

''But,'*  you  say,  ''they  have  securities." 
Yes,  they  have  "securities"  which  are  their 
own  'individual  credits"  calling  for  the  de- 
livery of  "dollars"  from  other  people  to  them, 
but  you  must  understand  that  there  are  only  a 
limited  number  of  actual  dollars  in  the  country 
for  the  banks  and  the  other  people  too,  so  that 
no  amount  of  ' '  securities ' '  can  possibly,  at  one 
time,  call  in  more  dollars  than  there  are  in  the 
country,  can  they? 

This  illustration  is  given  simply  to  make  plain 
what  "credit"  is,  and  we  will  further  state 
that  the  banks  can  pay  their  depositors  "$4.00 
for  $1.00,"  as  designated  above,  and  "make 
money"  at  it,  provided  they  are  given  leeway 
enough  to  move  a  portion  of  the  money  in  the 
country  a  sufficient  number  of  times.  If  they 
can  move  it  all  four  times,  one-half  of  it  eight 
times,  or  one-quarter  of  it  sixteen  times,  they 
can  approximately  accomplish  the  desired  re- 
sult. This  is  further  elucidated  in  a  chapter  on 
Utility. 

67 


METAMORPHOSE 

As  the  matter  stands  at  present  the  bankers 
are  simply  involved  in  an  intricate  maze  of 
''Credit"  and  "Debit"  which  they,  themselves, 
do  not  comprehend,  and  they  have  probably 
never  given  a  thought  as  to  when  and  where  and 
under  what  conditions  they  will  emerge. 

We  have  been  looking  at  modern  banking  by 
the  light  of  a  lantern,  and  while  we  have  the 
subject  before  us  it  may  be  well  to  turn  the 
searchlight  on  it  for  closer  inspection.  If  the 
system  is  entirely  good  it  will  certainly  bear  the* 
closest  scrutiny,  and  we  can  in  no  wise  injure 
it  by  telling  the  truth  about  it. 

We  have  no  desire  to  injure  anybody  or  any- 
thing. If  there  are  what  we  consider  pitfalls  in 
the  path  that  men  are  traveling,  it  is  our  duty 
to  point  them  out. 

Pat  Sheedy  is  a  gambler  quite  extensively 
known.  A  true  gambler  is  a  man  who  gives  th« 
other  fellow  a  chance  to  win.  A  "sure  thing" 
man  is  one  who  gives  the  other  fellow  no  chance 
to  win.  Mr.  Sheedy  is  something  more  than  a 
mere  gambler,  he  is  a  philosopher.  He  made  a 
remark  not  long  ago  that  is  very  pertinent 
when  applied  to  the  banking  system.  In  speak- 
ing of  the  game  of  high  finance  he  referred  to 
it. as  the  game  of  0.  P.  M.  When  asked  what 
kind  of  a  game  it  is,  he  replied  substantially  as 
follows: 

"It  is  the  game  of  Other  People's  Money. 
The  man  who  plays  the  game  can't  lose  and 

(J8 


TURNING  ON  THE  LIGHT 

may  win;  the  man  who  furnishes  the  money 
can't  win  and  may  lose." 

If  you  will  apply  this  to  the  banking  business 
you  will  no  doubt  perceive  its  aptness. 

According  to  the  report  of  the  Comptroller 
of  the  Currency  of  the  United  States,  some 
five  hundred  National  Banks  have  already 
failed,  with  worthless  ''securities"  amounting 
to  over  one  hundred  millions  of  dollars !  These 
banks  never  promised  any  profit  to  the  indi- 
viduals who  put  up  the  money,  since  National 
Banks  do  not  even  pay  interest  on  deposits. 
While  they  did  not  say  to  their  victims  in  so 
many  words,  "We  give  you  no  security  but  take 
your  money  and  use  it  until  you  call  for  it. 
You  can  have  it  any  time  you  like,  although,  in 
case  of  emergency,  you  must  give  us  thirty 
or  sixty  days'    notice.     All  this,  of  course, 

BESTS  also  on  THE  CONTINGENCY  OF  OUR  HAVING 
THE  MONEY  OR  BEING  ABLE  TO   GET  IT  WHEN  YOU 

WANT  IT."  Yet  these  were  the  conditions  on 
which  the  people  put  in  their  money  and  this 
Was  the  only  "security"  given  by  the  banks, 
and  such  are  the  present  conditions!  There  is 
no  chance  whatever  for  a  depositor  to  gain,  and 
there  is  a  lively  possibility  that  he  may  lose. 

These  five  hundred  "National"  Banks  were 
playing  the  game  of  0.  P.  M.  from  the  "sure 
thing"  standpoint,  and  happened  to  lose — the 
other  fellow's  money. 

It  is  a  most  delectable  game  and  very  exciting 

69 


METAMORPHOSE 

to  the  fellow  who  puts  up  the  money  and  knows 
what  he's  doing!  A  banker  is  eminently 
"respectable"  until  he  loses  and  is  found  out. 

If  these  things  are  not  so,  then  let  every 
newspaper  in  the  land  proclaim  their  falsity 
and  point  out  where  the  error  lies.  Every  indi- 
vidual, however,  outside  of  insane  asylums  and 
institutions  for  the  feeble  minded  can  easily 
analyze  the  matter  for  themselves. 

In  one  respect  the  Savings  Banks  are  better 
than  National  Banks ;  in  other  respects  they  are 
on  an  equality.  They  are  just  as  ''strong"  so 
far  as  actual  strength  is  concerned.  By  the  way, 
in  speaking  of  the  strength  of  a  bank  it  is  well 
to  remember  that  it  is  not  always  the  bank 
with  the  most  "capital  stock"  that  is  the 
strongest.  Some  who  have  analyzed  the  situ- 
ation had  rather  put  their  money  into  small 
banks  than  large  ones.  A  bank  is  small  when 
it  does  not  owe  much.  A  large  bank  has  much 
more  money  to  "invest"  than  has  a  small  bank, 
and  in  order  to  get  their  money  working  they 
are  very  apt  to  take  greater  risks.  This  is  not 
necessarily  so,  however. 

The  feature  wherein  Savings  Banks  are 
better  for  the  depositor  than  National  Banks 
is  the  fact  that  they  divide  with  the  depositor 
some  of  the  winnings  of  the  game.  These 
winnings  are  called  "interest."* 

*  "Interest"    is    fully   discussed   in    another   chapter. 
70 


TURNING  ON  THE  LIGHT 

The  report  of  the  Comptroller  of  the  Cur- 
rency for  1903  shows  that  in  1820  there  were 
ten  Savings  Banks  in  the  country,  while  in  1902 
there  were  one  thousand  and  seventy-eight 
Savings  Banks  who  sent  their  reports  to  him. 
A  table  published  in  the  report  shows  that  the 
number  of  banks  and  depositors  and  deposits 
have  constantly  and  gradually  increased  during 
the  period.  In  1820  there  were  about  eight 
thousand  six  hundred  depositors;  in  1902  there 
were  over  seven  million  depositors!  In  1820 
the  total  deposits  were  about  one  million 
dollars;  in  1902  the  total  deposits  were  about 
three  billions  of  dollars!  This  table  does  not 
necessarily  argue  that  the  people  are  becoming 
more  foolish  all  the  time;  but  it  does  serve  to 
give  a  pertinent  little  lesson  in  Nature's  great 
Law  of  Increase. 

The  following  analyzation  of  the  Savings 
Bank  system  applies  also  to  the  National  bank- 
ing system  except  in  the  matter  of  ''interest'* 
paid  to  depositors. 

A  person  or  group  of  persons  who  desire  to 
go  into  the  banking  business,  go  through  a  cer- 
tain legal  process,  the  details  c  f  which  are  not 
necessary  here,  and  then  secure  some  suitable 
room  and  put  in  the  necessary  fixtures,  decor- 
ate the  windows  with  appropriate  gold  leaf,  and 
open  the  doors  to  the  public.  Then,  like  the 
little  boj'  selling  matches,  they  say  or  imply 
something  like  this : 

71 


METAMORPHOSE 

''Let  us  take  your  money  to  use  because  we 
want  to  make  something  on  it.  Our  quarters 
are  very  expensive  as  we  desire  to  impress  you 
with  our  solidity,  but  you  need  not  mind  the 
expense,  since  we  will  soon  be  able  to  win 
enough  to  make  us  even  with  the  game  and  then 
we  will  be  ' '  on  velvet. ' '  All  we  require  of  you 
is  to  furnish  the  money;  we  will  do  the  rest. 
We  are  very  respectable  and  we  go  into  this 
business  simjDly  to  do  you  the  favor  of  looking 
after  your  money.  We  will  give  you  three  cents 
interest  on  every  dollar  you  leave  with  us  for 
a  full  year,  and  three  cents  more  at  the  end  of 
each  year  thereafter  so  long  as  the  money 
remains  with  us.  So  you  see  at  the  end  of 
thirty-three  years  you  would  have  received 
back  ninety-nine  cents  and  would  still  have  a 
dollar  coming. 

''Another  important  thing  you  should  remem- 
ber is  never  to  withdraw  any  of  your  money 
from  our  bank  except  in  cases  of  extreme  neces- 
sity. The  proper  thing  to  do  is  to  leave  your 
money  with  us  during  your  entire  life.  That, 
you  will  perceive,  is  sound  financial  advice, 
since  it  comes  from  a  banker." 

Of  course  the  above  sounds  ridiculous  to  one 
who  understands  what  money  is  and  wherein 
its  value  lies.  But  to  the  thoughtless  human 
sheep  who  blindly  follow  foolish  precedent  and 
tradition,  this  appears  to  be  the  essence  of 
financial  wisdom.  They  reason  thus :  A  banker 
has  money,  therefore  he  is  a  financier.  A  finan- 
cier is  wise  because  he  knows  how  to  get  money  j 

72 


TURNING  ON  TEE  LIGHT 

therefore  his  words  are  words  of  wisdom. 
Selah! 

Over  seven  millions  of  people  have  some 
three  billions  of  dollars  on  "deposit"  in  the 
Savings  Banks  alone!  These  banks,  according 
to  the  Comptroller  of  the  Currency,  had  a  total 
of  some  thirty  millions  of  dollars  cash  on  hand 
at  the  time  he  made  his  report;  the  balance 
was  owing  to  the  banks  as  individual  credits. 
This  means  that  if  all  the  depositors  of  these  one 
thousand  seventy-eight  banks  should  demand 
their  money  at  the  same  time,  the  banks,  as  a 
whole,  could  pay  the  depositors,  as  a  whole, 
thirty  millions  of  dollars,  and  would  still  owe 
them  a  grand  total  of  two  billions,  nine  hundred 
and  seventy  millions  of  dollars  ($2,970,000,000) 
and  the  depositors,  before  they  could  get  the 
entire  amount,  would  be  obliged  to  wait  until 
the  banks  could  get  what  was  coming  to  them 
from  the  other  fellows.  It  is  a  simple  school- 
boy problem  in  arithmetic. 

That  is  nothing  against  the  banks,  but  it 
simply  serves  to  illustrate  the  system.  They 
are  just  as  *' strong"  now  as  they  were  before 
that  statement  was  made.  The  banking  system 
has  some  good  features  as  well  as  bad  features. 
We  simply  wish  to  make  plain  that  bankers  are 
human  and  banks  artificial. 

There  is  a  method  in  all  this  seeming  mad- 
ness as  we  will  endeavor  to  make  plain.  Our 
people  have  accomplished  a  wonder  most  won- 

73 


METAMORPHOSE 

derful  without  knowing  what  they  were  about, 
and  it  is  time  that  they  learn  to  intelligently 
utilize  what  they  possess. 

Among  the  good  features  of  the  present 
banking  system  are  those  involved  in  credit 
transference.  Mr.  E.  Gr.  Lewis  of  St.  Louis,  Mo., 
recognized  these  good  features  and  embodied 
some  of  them  in  a  banking  system  under  the 
title  of  the  Pco2:>les  United  States  Bank.  When 
he  presented  his  ideas  to  the  people  they  were 
received  with  most  kindly  consideration  and  in 
a  very  short  time  over  sixty  thousand  people 
joined  Mr.  Lewis  in  the  enterprise  and  con- 
tributed to  it  many  hundred  thousands  of 
dollars. 

As  soon  as  it  became  apparent  to  the  devotees 
of  the  established  game  of  0.  P.  M.  that  this 
new  innovation  might  possibly  deflect  some  of 
the  people's  money  from  their  own  pockets,  a 
gigantic  fraud  was  perpetrated  upon  Mr.  Lewis 
and  the  sixty  thousand  people  who  united  with 
him,  by  means  of  a  ''fraud  order"  issued  by  the 
PostofBce  * '  department. ' '  If  the  sixty  thousand 
people  lose  any  money  with  that  bank  they  must 
blame  the  Postoffice  "Department"  for  depriv- 
ing them  of  their  rights  to  the  use  of  the  mail 
service,  and  for  the  wanton  destruction  of 
their  private  property. 

The  tyranny  practiced  by  the  Postoffice  De- 
partment under  the  notorious  "fraud  order" 
law  is  dollar  tyranny,  and  dollar  tyranny  is  th© 

74 


TURNING  ON  THE  LIGHT 

most  infamous  and  soul-destroying  despotism 
in  the  world,  and  it  is  time  that  the  American 
people  were  becoming  cognizant  of  this  fact. 
Public  officials  in  a  Republic  should  be  public 
servants,  but  the  present  breed  are,  with  a  few 
exceptions,  petty  autocrats  ensconced  behind 
''laws"  manfactured  either  by  themselves  or 
their  colleagues.*  Put  your  finger  on  an  office 
holding  politician  and  you  usually  locate  an  in- 
dividual who  is  making  a  profession  of  going 
after  the  people's  money  without  a  single 
thought  for  their  welfare.  The  exceptions  are 
few. 

You  must  remember  that  there  are  three  De- 
partments in  our  Government,  the  Legislative, 
the  Executive,  and  the  Judicial,  and  every  office 
holder  in  each  one  of  these  three  Departments 
should  be  judged  solely  by  the  benefits  he  con- 
fers upon  his  fellowmen;  not  by  his  ''position" 
nor  his  accumulated  "wealth."  If  we  could 
have  a  Eoosevelt,  a  Tom  Johnson,  a  Folk  or 
similar  manifestations  of  sterling  manhood  in 
every  important  office  in  the  land,  including  the 
courts,  there  would  be  more  equity  and  justice 
prevalent  than  there  is  today.  We  must  be 
thankful  that  honest  officials  are  becoming 
more  plentiful. 

It  is  one  thing  for  a  President  to  say  that 
"every  man  will  be  given  a  square  deal"  and 
another    thing    to    carry    that  statement  into 

*See  Note    (s)    Appendix. 

75 


METAMORPHOSE 

practical  effect.  It  is  a  very  wise  President 
who  knows  all  the  skulduggery  that  is  going 
on  either  in  his  Postoffice  Department  or  even 
the  Federal  Courts.  Patrick  Henry's  thrill- 
ing words  may  be  aptly  repeated  here : 

'*I  care  not  what  course  others  may  take; 
but  as  for  me,  give  me  Liberty  or  give  me  Death. 
If  this  be  treason,  make  the  most  of  it. ' ' 

Consolidated  into  one  grand  aggregation  of 
deception  and  spoliation  the  cohorts  of  Mam- 
mon— dissembling  Politicians,  Frenzied  Finan- 
ciers, Great  Trusts,  Bankers,  Courts,  and 
Lawyers — pursue  their  arrogant  course,  wax- 
ing fat  on  the  toil  of  the  people,  since  it  is  the 
people  alone  that  maintain  the  value  of  their 
''credit.'' 

Not  one  of  the  divisions  mentioned  above  do 
ought  to  confer  a  lasting  benefit  upon  mankind. 
Their  energy  is  centered  solely  on  obtaining 
''dollars"  for  themselves.  It  is  time  that  the 
millions  who  are  "governed"  were  allowed  to 
sit  down  at  the  feast  of  good  things. 

The  way  is  being  provided — the  feast  is 
being  prepared !    "Will  you  come  ? 

"And  I  have  this  aim — to  perfect  you,  that 
ye  be  unhindered,  uncompelled,  unembarrassed, 
free,  prosperous,  happy,  looking  unto  God  alone 
in  all  things  great  and  small." — Epictetus. 


7« 


CHAPTER  V, 

Utility 

**  There  is  that  scattereth  and  yet  increaseth; 
and  there  is  that  withholdeth  more  than  is 
meet,  but  tendeth  to  poverty.  "—Proverbs. 

Reference  has  been  made  in  a  previous 
chapter  to  the  importance  of  Utility.  Its 
prominence  in  the  great  question  of  Economics 
is  diflScult  to  set  forth  briefly  and  clearly  with 
mere  words,  because  it  radiates  through  all  the 
intricate  maze  of  the  material  relationship  of 
men. 

It  is  not  necessary  here  to  go  into  the  ques- 
tion in  minute  detail,  but  the  subject  will  be 
treated  sufficiently  to  show  that  its  importance 
has  not  been  overrated  and  especially  with 
reference  to  ''dollars." 

The  following  quotation  from  the  pen  of  a 
philosopher  will  serve  to  properly  introduce 
the  subject: 

Of  a  surety  withholding  cannot  enrich  the  in- 
dividual, for  in  the  magnanimous  economy  of 
Nature  she  provides  a  law  that  the  use  of  a 
thing  constitutes  its  only  value.    The  products 

77 


METAMORPHOSE 

of  Nature  are  such  as  to  defy  hoarding.  She 
will  not  permit  her  products  to  be  hoarded.  Her 
law  is  ' '  use  them  or  I  will  cause  them  to  spoil. ' ' 
The  hoarding  of  money  impoverishes  the 
masses,  but  who  believes  this"?  The  moment  a 
dollar  is  hoarded  it  loses  every  scintilla  of  its 
value,  for  the  value  of  money  is  in  its  exchange 
only.  The  use  of  money  is  the  only  value  it 
possesses,  and  when  this  is  universally  under- 
stood, there  can  be  no  such  thing  as  poverty  in 
the  world.  A  dollar,  worth  nothing  in  itself  as 
paper,  by  placing  it  in  circulation,  will  pay  off 
an  indebtedness  of  many  millions  by  passing 
from  one  hand  to  another.  But  that  same  dollar 
hoarded  leaves  man  a  debtor,  simply  because 
someone  has  deprived  him  of  the  medium  of 
exchange. — Fkancis  Edgar  Mason. 

In  the  above  statement  Mr.  Mason  involves 
the  great  Principle  of  Utility,  and  his  state- 
ment is  weak  only  when  he  departs  from  this 
Principle!  For  instance,  take  the  sentence, 
*'The  use  of  money  is  the  only  value  it 
possesses,  and  when  this  is  universally  under- 
stood, there  can  be  no  such  thing  as  poverty  in 
the  world."  The  first  clause  in  that  sentence 
expresses  a  positive  truth,  while  the  second 
clause  is  the  one  weak  spot  in  the  entire 
quotation,  since  it  does  not  imply  the  use  of  the 
idea.  The  mere  conception  of  an  idea  is  not  the 
utility  of  it.  Ideas,  like  all  things  else,  are 
beneficial  only  when  utilized.    The  idea  of  our 

78 


UTILITY 

present  system  of  transportation  by  means  of 
railroads  is  a  great  idea,  but  it  is  beneficial 
only  because  it  is  utilized.  The  mere  existence 
of  the  idea  does  not  confer  benefits.  Its  use  is 
of  equal  importance  with  its  existence. 

Had  his  statement  been  made  in  this  way: 
''The  use  of  money  is  the  only  value  it  possesses 
and  when  this  is  universally  understood  and 
applied,  there  can  be  no  such  thing  as  poverty 
in  the  world, ' '  it  would  have  implied  the  utility 
of  the  idea.  To  be  more  explicit,  the  idea  and 
its  utility  may  be  more  fully  expressed  as  fol- 
lows :  ' '  The  use  of  money  is  the  only  value  it 
possesses,  and  when  this  is  universally  under- 
stood and  a  natural  or  scientific  system  for  the 
movement  of  dollars  is  inaugurated  and  per- 
petuated, there  can  be  no  such  thing  as  poverty 
in  the  world. ' ' 

This  you  will  perceive  imparts  the  element 
of  utility  to  the  second  clause  in  the  sentence 
and  gives  it  animation,  as  the  breath  of  life 
animates  the  human  body. 

Mr.  Mason's  clear  mind  perceived  a  mighty 
truth,  but  perhaps  he  momentarily  overlooked 
the  fact  that  accomplishment  is  only  attained 
through  utilization. 

Let  us  here  further  familiarize  ourselves  with 
a ''dollar." 

Place  a  silver  "dollar"  in  your  hand  and 
study  it.     Consider  first  the  material  and  its 

79 


METAMORPHOSE 

creation,  even  to  the  harmonious  relationship 
of  the  atoms  of  which  it  is  composed,  and 
Nature's  wonderful  Law  of  Attraction  that 
holds  them  together  in  this  particular  shape. 
Consider  the  various  steps  in  its  existence  and 
utility,  from  the  ore  hidden  in  the  depths  of 
earth  until  it  finally  reached  your  hand.  Con- 
ceive what  you  can  of  its  future  utility  until  it 
will  finally  disappear  as  an  identity. 

Can  you  tell  yourself  just  exactly  what  you 
are  going  to  do  with  this  particular  "dollar?" 
How  much  benefit  have  you  already  derived 
from  it? 

Realize  that  this  "dollar"  does  not  repre- 
sent something  that  you  have,  but,  on  the  con- 
trary, it  represents  something  that  someone 
else  has  which  is  yours  whenever  you  utilize 
the  "dollar"  under  the  established  custom  of 
swapping  that  we  call  commercialism.  When 
you  obtain  something  for  this  "dollar"  just 
consider  that  thing  with  reference  to  its 
creation  and  utility,  in  the  same  manner  that 
you  contemplate  the  "dollar." 

This  is  good  practice  in  analyzation.  Mental 
culture  is  as  important  and  beneficial  as  physi- 
cial  culture.  We  should  exercise  mind  as  well 
as  body.  Mind  was  given  us  to  utilize,  and  we 
should  keep  it  sharp  and  bright  and  not  allow 
it  to  become  rusty  and  dull. 

To    return    to    the    contemplation    of    the 

80 


UTILITY 

*' dollar."  Is  that  particular  "dollar"  your 
private  property?  If  you  always  retain  it  in 
your  possession  will  not  that  which  it  repre- 
sent be  ever  withheld  from  you?  Do  you  not 
realize  that  you  must  pass  it  on  to  someone  else 
or  lose  that  which  it  represents?  Must  that 
individual  not  also  pass  it  on  or  suffer  a  like 
penalty?  Money,  like  the  air  you  breath,  is  for 
your  utility,  not  retention.  In  fact,  the  uni- 
versality of  air  and  ''dollars"  have  much  in 
common. 

It  should  not  be  difficult  to  appreciate  the 
fact  that  the  use  of  money  constitutes  its  only 
value,  but  it  is  somewhat  difficult  to  appreciate 
the  amazing  results  obtained  through  the  pres- 
ent method  of  haphazard  utility,  and  especially 
when  we  realize  that  millions  of  "dollars"  rest 
in  absolute  idleness.  For  example,  the  vast 
amount  stored  away  in  the  vaults  of  the 
Treasury  of  the  United  States— about  $300,000, 
000  cash — and  the  millions  of  "dollars"  held 
in  "reserve"  by  banks.* 

One  of  the  greatest  fallacies  in  Modern 
Commercialism  is  known  as  "reserve  funds" 
which  will  be  treated  later. 

To  obtain  an  idea  of  the  vast  amount  of 
"dollars"  or  "credit"  that,  day  by  day  is  ex- 
changed, swapped,  or  moved — use  whichever 
word  you  like  since  any  one  of  which  expresses 

*See  Note    (i)    Appendix. 

81 


METAMORPHOSE 

utility — from  person  to  person  and  the  amazing 
results  obtained  as  signified  by  sum  totals,  just 
contemplate  these  utterly  inconceivable  figures 
compiled  from  the  reports  of  the  Comptroller 
of  the  Currency  of  the  United  States. 

From  1872  to  1903  inclusive  (32  years,  one 
generation),  there  passed  through  the  New 
York  Clearing  House  the  huge  sum  of  $1,203,- 
033,395,686 ! 

This  amount  is  so  vast  that  a  machine  grind- 
ing out  twenty  dollar  gold  pieces  at  the  rate 
of  two  every  second  would  have  to  run  night 
and  day  without  stop  for  twenty  thousand  years 
to  coin  that  amount. 

You  can't  comprehend  the  twenty  thousand 
years  to  say  nothing  of  the  ceaseless  energy, 
the  machinery,  and  the  generations  of  men  in- 
volved in  the  operation,  nor  the  five  billion 
pounds  of  pure  gold  required ! 

Let  us  take  another  illustration  and  endeavor 
to  vaguely  grasp  the  idea  of  the  enormity  of 
such  a  sum:  If  a  man  possessed  that  number 
of  ''dollars"  he  could  pay  one  hundred  dollars 
cash  for  every  acre  of  land  in  the  United 
States  including  mountains  and  deserts;  and 
with  a  portion  of  the  remainder  he  could  buy 
at  present  market  prices  all  of  the  railroads, 
steamboats,  street  railway  systems,  telegraph 
and  telephone  lines  together  with  their  equips 
ment;  he  could  buy  all  the  mines,  manfactured 

82 


UTILITY 

articles,  live  stock,  grains,  etc.;  he  could  pay 
every  bank  depositor  in  full  ($12,000,000,000) ; 
lie  could  pay  at  once  every  outstanding  life  in- 
surance policy  at  its  face  value,  both  old  line 
and  fraternal  ($20,000,000,000) ;  he  could  buy 
all  of  the  machinery  and  buildings  in  the 
United  States.  After  he  had  paid  cash  for  all 
these  things,  the  balance  rented  out  at  interest 
at  five  per  cent  a  year  would  bring  him  in  an 
income  at  the  rate  of  $3,000,000  an  hour ! 
Does  that  give  you  an  idea? 

If  not,  what  kind  of  an  illustration,  or  what 
combination  of  words  will  enable  you  to  grasp 
the  stupendous  magnitude  of  this  incredible 
result?  It  is  probably  sufficient  that  you  realize 
that  such  an  enormous  sum  is  far  beyond  the 
realms  of  human  conception. 

If  you  realize  that  these  figures  simply 
signify  that  $1,203,033,395,686  worth  of  obli- 
gations between  men  were  cancelled  or  "paid" 
through  the  medium  of  the  New  York  Clearing 
House  by  the  simple  movement  of  ''dollars"  or 
their  representation  on  paper,  "credit,"  we 
will  give  you  something  else  to  think  about  in 
connection  with  it. 

The  actual  cash  paid  out  in  these  transactions 
was  $57,592,707,180!  Thus  you  will  perceive 
that  the  ratio  between  "cash"  and  "credit" 
was  about  4.8  per  cent  cash  to  95.2  per  cent 
"credit." 

83 


METAMOBPHOSE 
Note    this    next    statement    very    carefully: 
There    was    an    average    of    less    than    one 
billion    three    hundred    sixty    millions    of 

ACTUAL  ** dollars'^  IN   CIRCULATION  DURING  THAT 
PERIOD  ! 

Let  us  set  these  figures  down  together  for 
closer  comparison: 
Obligations    paid    through    N.  Y. 

Clearing  House    $1,203,033,395,686 

Balances  paid  in  cash 57,592,707,180 

Average  total ' '  dollars ' '  in  circula- 
tion during  that  period   1,360,000,000 

Contemplate  those  figures  carefully  and  see 
what  they  tell  you.  If  they  tell  you  anything, 
they  tell  you  that  $900  worth  of  obligations 
were  cancelled  or  paid  through  the  New  York 
Clearing  House  during  that  period  for  every 
*' dollar"  in  circulation!  In  other  words,  it 
means  that  $1,360,000,000  or  their  represent- 
ation on  paper  had  to  be  moved  nine  hundred 
times  to  pay  the  total. 

Nine  hundred  dollars  for  one  dollar!  That 
makes  *'$2.00  for  $1.00"  look  rather  insignifi- 
cant, does  it  not? 

These  figures  also  tell  you  that,  in  like  man- 
ner, for  every  dollar  of  cash  in  circulation, 
$42.00  in  cash  was  paid ! 

$42.00  in  cash  paid  for  each  $1.00  of  cash! 
And,  strange  to  relate,  the  money  was  not  ''all 
used  up."  Instead,  there  was  more  at  the  finish 
than  at  the  beginning. 

84 


UTILITY 

How  do  you  account  for  it!  Movement  of 
the  representation  of  the  unit  of  obligation, 
*' dollars,"  from  man  to  man  over  and  over 
again.    Is  that  not  plain? 

Remember  that  this  was  only  a  fraction  of 
the  total  ''business"  transacted  by  the  people 
of  the  United  States  during  that  period. 

Remember  that  this  was  not  accomplished 
under  an  intelligent  System,  but  was  merely 
the  result  of  haphazard  swapping. 

Realize  that  the  individuals  who  participated 
in  this  stupendous  affair  did  not,  and  do  not 
yet,  know  what  they  are  accomplishing. 

Realize  that  the  next  thirty  years  of  the  same 
haphazard  methods  under  the  natural  Law  of 
Increase,  will  show  a  still  vaster  total. 

Now,  sit  still  and  ponder  and  answer  these 
questions : 

Will  the  money  give  out  ? 

If  so,  where  will  it  go? 

If  a  comparatively  few  men  can  accomplish 
such  results  without  a  system,  what  could  the 
whole  people  accomplish  tvith  an  intelligent 
system  ? 

While  the  magnitude  of  the  figures  presented 
in  this  illustration  and  their  full  import  may  be 
beyond  the  scope  of  our  comprehension,  still 
the  fact  that  the  Principle  involved,  through 
which  these  tremendous  results  were  obtained, 
is  the  Utility  of  ** dollars,"  must  be  most  ap- 
parent.   We  should  also  comprehend  the  fact 

85 


METAMORPHOSE 

that  comparatively  few  individual  members  of 
the  body  politic  were  directly  involved  in  these 
transactions,  and  consequently  there  was  no 
direct  benefit  to  millions  of  our  people.  There 
were  other  Clearing  Houses  and  other  trans- 
actions during  that  period  and  the  basis  of  all 
the  transactions  was  the  limited  number  of 
''dollars"  shown  to  be  in  circulation  by  the  re- 
port of  the  Comptroller. 

From  this  it  will  be  seen  that  it  is  not  the 
number  of  ''dollars"  in  existence  that  is  of  so 
great  consequence,  but  it  is  the  utility  of  the 
dollars  that  is  of  supreme  importance.  For 
instance,  there  were  more  dollars  in  existence 
in  1896  and  1897  than  there  were  in  1890  and 
1891,  but  there  were  more  people  on  the  verge 
of  starvation — not  because  of  crop  failure — in 
1896  and  1897  than  there  were  in  1890  and  1891. 

During  the  campaign  of  1896  the  question  of 
finance  was  the  paramount  issue,  but  the  dis- 
cussion was  mostly  confined  to  the  material  of 
which  the  representation  of  the  "dollar"  unit 
should  be  made,  instead  of  going  into  the  really 
important  question  of  properly  utilizing  what 
we  already  had. 

It  has  been  clearly  demonstrated  that  the 
question  of  utility  is  of  vastly  more  importance 
than  the  question  of  the  material  or  shape  or 
weight  of  a  dollar,  because  a  paper  dollar  seven 
and  a  half  inches  long  and  three  inches  wide 

86 


UTILITY 

will  "buy"  just  as  much  as  a  silver  dollar  or  a 
gold  dollar,  and  it  will  continue  to  do  so  just 
so  long  as  we  have  a  ''statute  law"  which  says 
that  they  shall  be  legal  tender  for  all  debts  both 
public  and  private  to  the  amount  of  one 
dollar. 

By  the  mere  changing  of  our  ' '  statute  laws, ' ' 
however,  the  body  of  men  called  ''Congress" 
can  destroy  the  legal  tender  function  of  every 
representation  of  the  dollar  unit  that  we  have, 
and  this  is  undoubtedly  the  sole  reason  why  the 
leaders  of  one  great  political  party  advocate 
gold  money  to  the  exclusion  of  other  metal. 
They  are  evidently  distrustful  of  themselves, 
and  no  one  of  them  desires  to  be  placed  at  the 
mercy  of  his  colleagues.  When  people  get  so 
well  acquainted  that  they  fear  to  trust  each 
other  it  is  time  to  watch  them  when  they  congre- 
gate together  in  a  body. 

There  is,  at  the  present  time,  a  discussion  on 
the  part  of  some  bankers  and  politicians  m  re- 
lation to  retiring  the  "greenbacks"  and  re- 
placing them  with  another  kind  of  paper 
money.  This  latter  paper  to  be  issued  by  the 
bankers.  The  motive  in  this  is  probably  phil- 
anthropic so  far  as  the  bankers  are  concerned, 
while  with  the  politicians  it  is,  as  usual  in  such 
cases,  undoubtedly  a  great  "duty"  which  they 
owe  to  the  dear  people.  On  one  side  philan- 
thropy, on  the  other,  patriotism ! 

87 


METAMORPHOSE 

But,  did  you  ever  see  a  time  when  a  National 
bank  note  was  better  than  a  Government  note? 
So  long  as  they  both  remain  the  representation 
of  the  dollar  unit  and  are  properly  utilized, 
then  one  is  just  as  good  as  the  other.  There- 
fore Utility  is  again  the  question  of  supreme 
importance. 

//  the  hanks  could  curtail  the  utility  of  their 
own  paper  hy  withdrawing  it  from  circulation 
and  thus  deny  its  use  to  the  people,  then  should 
not  such  poiver  be  taken  out  of  their  hands? 
Should  the  mass  of  people  be  at  the  mercy  of 
the  few? 

The  idea  of  relegating  the  right  to  issue 
money  to  i)rivate  individuals  is  at  least  ques- 
tionable; while  taking  away  that  power  from 
the  Government,  accompanied  by  the  destruc- 
tion of  the  portion  that  the  Government  has  al- 
ready put  out,  appears  to  some  thoughtful  citi- 
zens to  be  reprehensible,  if  not  traitorous. 

It  is  not  the  province  of  this  work,  however, 
to  suggest  the  kind  of  money  and  the  volume 
of  it  that  is  necessary  for  the  people's  wants, 
but  we  could  not  resist  the  temptation  to  call 
attention  to  a  matter  that  demands  intelligent 
surveillance  on  the  part  of  our  people.  Remem- 
ber that  the  high  priests  of  Mammon  serve 
Mammon,  not  God. 

We  do  not  claim  to  have  discovered  a  new 
Principle,   because    all    Principles   were   born 

■'    88 


UTILITY 

before  man  took  shape  and  form.  In  fact,  mar 
was  born  out  of  and  through  the  only  Principles 
there  are  in  existence,  therefore,  man  does  not 
and  cannot  discover  neiv  Principles,  but  he  can 
come  into  a  recognition  of  old  ones,  or  he  can 
devise  a  new  application  of  a  Principle  already 
known.  The  comprehension  of  Principles  and 
their  application  is  the  sum  total  of  human 
wisdom. 

By  a  process  of  analyzation  and  logical  de- 
duction we  have  discovered  that  "dollars,"  as 
well  as  lead  pencils,  are  valuable  and  beneficial 
to  mankind  only  when  they  are  intelligently 
utilized. 

This  is  not  a  new  Principle,  but  it  has  existed 
from  the  Beginning  and  will  endure  to  the  End. 

After  this  point  is  reached  the  problem  re- 
solves itself  into  the  question  of  how  can  dollars 
be  utilized  to  the  best  advantage  of  every  indi- 
vidual who  participates  in  their  movement. 
Following  this  there  arises  the  great  question 
of  Equity.  It  is  plain  to  be  seen,  therefore,  that 
a  Method  or  System,  under  certain  fixed  laws,  is 
necessary.  Then  follows  the  question  as  to  the 
Laws  that  should  govern  such  a  System ! 

"For  God  Is  not  idle,  for  then  all  things  would 
be  idle;  for  all  things  are  full  of  God. 

"But  there  is  not  anywhere  in  the  World 
such  a  thing  as  Idleness;  for  Idleness  is  a  name 
that  implieth  a  thing  void  or  empty,  both  of  a 
Doer,  and  a  thing  done." — Hermes. 


CHAPTER  VI 

Fundamental  Principles 


"Come  ye  near  unto  me,  hear  ye  this;  I  have 
not  spoken  in  secret  from  the  beginning;  from 
the  time  that  it  was,  there  am  I." — Isaiah. 


**And  straightway  God  saith  to  the  Holy 
Word,  Increase  in  increasing,  and  multiply  in 
multitude  all  you  my  Creatures  and  Workman- 
ships." — Hermes. 

To  the  real  student  or  investigator,  the  all 
important  question  after  How  is  Why. 

There  are  certain  general  axioms  on  which  all 
problems  are  based,  one  of  which  is:  Things 
equal  to  the  same  thing  are  equal  to  each  other. 

This  axiom  in  connection  with  the  mathe- 
matical principles  of  multiplication  and  di- 
vision, is  the  basis  of  the  great  universal  Law 
of  Correspondence. 

Underlying  all  manifestations  whatsoever, 
either  in  the  material,  mental,  or  spiritual 
planes  of  existence,  are  great  and  mighty  Prin- 
ciples or  Essences  which  are  the  Causes  that 
produce  the  Effects. 

90 


FUNDAMENTAL  PRINCIPLES 

One  of  the  first  facts  or  axioms  the  investi- 
gator of  Truth  arrives  at  is  that  all  things  are 
dual,  and  that  all  great  Laws  or  Principles  or 
Essences  are  dual  in  their  application. 

In  coming  into  a  consciousness  of  these 
Divine  Essences  the  mind  becomes  involved  in 
a  series  of  problems,  one  leading  to  another, 
until  it  becomes  lost  in  the  labyrinth  of  the 
Cosmos. 

Natural  Laws  are  Divine  Essences,  and  as 
such  are  unchangeable  and  therefore  immortal 
or  everlasting.  They  cannot  be  judged  or  de- 
termined by  the  physical  senses  of  hearing, 
seeing,  feeling,  smelling,  or  tasting.  They  can 
be  vaguely  comprehended  only  by  the  result  of 
their  works. 

They  are  always  dual,  and  the  duality  is  ex- 
pressed as  Positive  and  Negative  or  Con- 
structive and  Destructive,  with  infinite  vari- 
ations in  their  manifestations,  such  as  action 
and  reaction,  expansion  and  contraction,  for- 
ward and  backward,  give  and  take,  heat  and 
cold,  rise  and  fall,  love  and  hate,  joy  and  sorrow, 
harmony  and  discord,  health  and  sickness, 
light  and  darkness,  and  so  on  through  every 
phase  of  existence. 

The  great  primary  active  Essence  or  Princi- 
ple is  that  vague  thing  Energy,  and  its  polar 
opposite  is  Love.  The  Supreme  Intelligence 
has  ordered  that  the  Positive  shall  ever  pene- 


METAMORPHOSE 

trate  or  combine  with  the  Negative,  and  the 
result  is  what  we  may  term  the  Offspring,  the 
Manifestation,  the  Fruit.  Herein  lies  the  prin- 
ciple of  the  Trinity.  The  Fruition  is  separate 
and  distinct  and  essentially  different  from 
either  of  the  two  things  which  cause  it  to  be 
manifested. 

For  instance,  the  earth's  Temperature  is  a 
mixture  of  Heat  and  Cold,  but  the  Temperature 
is  neither  Heat  nor  Cold. 

All  manifestation  is  due  to  resistance,  or  a 
friction  between  the  dualities;  but  in  Nature 
this  restraint  is  what  we  might  term  co- 
operative friction,  or  harmonious  restraint,  or 
friendly  competition. 

For  instance,  walking  is  the  friendly  compe- 
tition of  our  dual  pedal  extremities,  wherein 
each  is  continually  striving  to  get  ahead  of  the 
other;  but  each  assists  the  other  and  the  result 
is  headway.  Another  splendid  illustration  we 
find  in  the  incandescent  light.  The  light  is 
generated  only  when  the  smooth  flowing 
electricity  reaches  the  friendly,  resisting  car- 
bon. Edison's  greatest  difficultj^  in  perfecting 
the  incandescent  lamp  was  in  finding  carbon 
that  would  resist  but  not  antagonize.  Without 
resistance  there  would  be  no  light.  Sunlight  is 
the  result  of  resistance  as  is  all  other  light.  In 
fact,  there  is  not  a  manifestation  in  the  Universe 
that  is  not  a  result  of  this  Divine  Friction  which 
has  been  operated  since  God  spoke  the  Word. 

92 


FUNDAMENTAL  PRINCIPLES 

"We  cannot  see  Energy,  but  we  can  see  its 
symbolic  manifestation,  Motion.  Neither  can 
we  see  the  rapturous  union  of  Energy  and  Love, 
but  we  can,  by  analyzation  and  deduction, 
perceive  their  dual  offspring.  Attraction  and 
Radiation,  the  characteristics  of  which  are 
possibly  best  illustrated  by  Centripetal  and 
Centrifugal  motion. 

The  Complement  or  helpmate  of  Energy  is  a 
mighty  Principle,  which,  for  want  of  a  better 
appellation,  we  call  Divine  Love.  This  does 
not  mean  human  affection  or  passion,  but  a 
Cosmic  Principle.  We  cannot  see  this  Love, 
but  we  can  see  its  symbolic  manifestation. 
Form. 

To  make  our  meaning  plainer  we  will  state 
that  the  Law  of  Attraction  is  operated  by  what 
is  vaguely  termed  a  magnet. 

The  operative  principle  of  a  magnet  is  the 
Negative  or  Reactionary  element  of  this  Univer- 
sal Love,  and  this  is  that  which  harmoniously 
opposes  Energy  and  brings  about  the  sym- 
metrical union  of  the  various  parts  in  con- 
formity with  the  Idea,  and  this  gives  shape  or 
Form  to  substance  or  conditions. 

The  operative  principle  of  Radiation  is  the 
Positive  element  of  Divine  Love.  It  is  the 
principle  of  Giving.  God  alone  is  all  things. 
All  things  are  from  Him.  He  gives  all  things 
and  takes  nothing;  for  He  has  all  things. 

93 


METAMORPHOSE 

The  harmonious  union  of  Attraction  and 
Kadiation  holds  the  earth  in  its  course  and 
regulates  the  intricate  movements  of  all  things 
else,  stars  or  men. 

To  cite  one  little  illustration  as  to  the  action 
and  interaction  of  Attraction  and  Radiation  in 
reference  to  men,  your  attention  is  called  to  the 
fact  that  the  rotation  of  the  earth  tends  to  hurl 
us  into  space  as  mud  is  thrown  from  a  revolving 
wheel,  while  the  magnetic  Attraction  of  the 
earth  overcomes  that  tendency  just  enough  to 
hold  us  here  and  give  us  the  power  to  move 
about.  Cease  the  Attraction  and  we  would  be 
hurled  into  space;  remove  the  Repulsion  or 
Radiation  and  we  would  be  drawn  flat  to  the 
earth  unable  to  move.  The  preponderance  of 
Attraction  over  Radiation  in  this  case  we  term 
weight,  and  when  we  say  a  certain  body  weighs 
a  certain  number  of  pounds,  we  of  necessity 
refer  to  this  great  phenomenon  in  Nature. 

When  we  further  understand  that  the  oper- 
ation of  these  two  great  Principles  enters  into 
our  most  insignificant  acts  and  thoughts;  that 
they  mold  and  shape  all  of  man 's  achievements 
and  institutions,  then  we  may,  in  a  measure, 
realize  how  important  it  is  that  we  become,  to 
a  certain  degree,  familiar  with  these  Principles 
and  their  application,  so  that  we  may  intelli- 
gently co-operate  with  them. 

That    we  may    better    comprehend    the  re- 

94 


FUNDAMENTAL  PRINCIPLES 

lationship  of  these  Laws  we  will  here  state 
four  propositions  which  clearly  set  forth  the 
basis  of  their  application. 

Prop.  1. — An  even  mixture  or  balance  op 
Attraction  and  Radiation  produces  a  state  of 
neutrality. 

Example :    The  center  of  a  magnetic  needle. 

Prop.  2. — Attraction  existing  to  the  com- 
plete EXCLUSION  of  Radiation  would  produce 
a  state  of  absolute  inertia  or  death. 

This  is  beyond  finite  comprehension. 

Prop.  3. — Radiation  existing  to  the  com- 
plete EXCLUSION  of  Attraction  would  result 
IN  instant  explosion  or  disintegration,  which 
IS  also  death. 

A  conception  of  this  stupendous  idea  gives 
one  a  glimpse  of  Chaos. 

Prop.  4. — The  unbalanced  mixture  of  these 

TWO  WONDERFUL  PRINCIPLES  PRODUCES  ALL  THE 
VARIED  MANIFESTATIONS  OF  SUBSTANCE. 

An  interesting  volume  might  be  written  in  the 
elucidation  of  these  Propositions,  but  since  we 
are  here  alone  concerned  with  Prop.  4,  we  will 
confine  our  attention  to  a  brief  consideration 
of  it. 

Possibly  the  best  illustration  we  can  use  to 
make  plain  the  meaning  of  the  Proposition  is  a© 
follows : 

A  cake  of  ice  we  designate  as  ''matter"; 
water  is  ** liquid";  steam  is  "gas."    In  a  cake 

95 


METAMORPHOSE 

of  ice  certain  atoms  are  clinging  together  in  a 
certain  form  which  we  call  a  solid.  In  this  man- 
ifestation we  can  perceive  that  Attraction 
strongly  predominates.  We  can  put  the  ice  on 
a  pair  of  scales  and  weigh  it.  If  we  apply  heat 
—the  active  Principle  of  Radiation — to  the 
ice,  the  atoms  absorb  and  become  animated  by 
the  Principle  of  Radiation  to  a  certain  degree, 
and  this  impels  them  to  relax  the  tension  of 
their  cohesion  and  they  become  a  liquid  which 
we  call  ''water,'*  whch  also  has  ** weight."  If 
still  more  heat  be  applied  to  the  same  atoms, 
they  absorb  still  more  of  the  Principle  of  Radi- 
ation which  impels  them  to  fly  apart,  and  this 
condition  we  designate  as  ** steam,"  which  has 
no  weight.  If  we  confine  the  steam  to  a  boiler 
to  which  is  affixed  an  instrument  called  a  steam- 
gage,  we  can  measure  how  great  now  is  the  pre- 
ponderance of  the  Principle  of  Radiation  over 
that  of  Attraction.  In  each  case  the  Atoms  are 
identical. 

A  close  analytical  observation  of  all  of  the 
varied  manifestations  of  ''matter"  will  serve 
to  make  us  more  familiar  with  the  operation  ot 
these  mighty  Principles  in  all  of  their  delicate 
and  harmonious  blendings.  When  we  reali2je 
that  man  has  been  able  to  generate  heat  which 
he  measures  as  7,000°  Farenheit,  and  a  degree 
of  cold  sufficient  to  liquify  the  air,  then  we 
must  admit  that   infinite  "Heat"  and  infinite 

96 


FUNDAMENTAL  PRINCIPLES 
**Cold"  are  too  appalling  to  even  attempt  to 
contemplate;  then,  when  we  ponder  on  the  Su- 
preme Intelligence  which  so  delicately  adjusts 
these  two  Extremes  as  to  produce  the  earth's 
temperature  which  makes  possible  the  manifes- 
tations that  we  see,  we  become,  in  a  measure, 
aware  of  our  own  littleness  and  insignificance. 
A  fluctuation  in  the  earth's  temperature  of  100° 
either  way  from  its  present  extremes  would 
probably  destroy  all  vegetable  and  animal  life ! 

When  we  turn  from  the  awe  inspiring  Wis- 
dom of  the  Infinite  Mind  to  the  asinine  stupid- 
ity of  human  '* knowledge,"  which  knows  not 
and  doesn't  know  that  it  knows  not,  a  feeling 
of  compassion  seizes  on  us  and  we  vaguely  real- 
ize how  greatly  man  needs  that  other  Divine 
Essence,  bounteous  and  bountiful  Love ! 

We  are  now  to  consider  the  great  natural 
Principle  of  Evolution,  which  is  the  result  of 
a  mixture  of  Attraction  and  Eadiation  wherein 
the  former  slightly  preponderates. 

Evolution,  then,  is  the  result  of  the  simultan- 
eous action  and  reaction  of  a  great  building  up 
and  a  great  tearing  down  force,  wherein  the 
building  up  is  greater  than  the  tearing  down. 
Take  the  Evolution  of  the  white  population  of 
the  United  States  as  an  illustration  and  you 
will  better  comprehend  the  process.  There  was  a 
time  when  the  first  white  man  stepj^ed  onto  th» 
North  American  continent,  and  he  was  followea 

97 


METAMORPHOSE 
by  another  and  still  others.  Generation  after 
generation  came  and  went  before  the  total  white 
population  of  the  entire  continent  was  as  large 
as  is  the  population  of  New  York  City  today, 
and  still  the  continuity  of  the  operation  brought 
still  other  generations  to  replace  those  constant- 
ly departing,  until  now  there  are  some  four- 
score millions  of  white  people  in  the  United 
States  alone.  One  hundred  years  hence  will 
erase  from  mortal  life  practically  all  of  the 
present  citizens — that  is  the  tearing  down  pro- 
cess— but  they  will  be  replaced  by  a  vastly 
greater  number  of  new  people — that  is  the 
building  up  process. 

It  is  said  that  the  period  of  a  generation  is 
about  thirty  years,  but  no  man  is  able  to  state 
the  exact  time  where  one  generation  begins  or 
where  it  ends.  Each  moment  brings  its  changes. 
Each  day  ushers  in  a  new  generation,  and  at  the 
same  time  a  generation  is  making  its  exit.  This 
is  simply  the  manifestation  of  a  great  Natural 
Law  wherein  the  building  up  and  tearing  down 
processes  are  simultaneous  and  continuous,  and 
the  operation  perpetuates  the  human  race. 

Here  is  a  good  place  to  stop  and  contemplate 
the  fact  that  the  only  permanent  creation  is  one 
wherein  these  two  Laws  work  together  as  above. 

For  convenience  in  expressing  these  ideas  we 
will  now  designate  the  building  up  process  as 
Growth,  and  the  tearing  down  process  as 
Change,  remembering  that  the  Law  of  Attrao- 

98 


FUNDAMENTAL  PRINCIPLES 

tion  dominates  Growth,  and  Radiation, 
Change.  Strictly  speaking,  Growth  is  but  Evo- 
lution in  miniature,  while  Change  is  inverted 
Growth. 

The  wonderful  science  of  mathematics 
teaches  us  how  to  take  a  Cause  and  mathe- 
matically deduce  the  effect,  or  to  take  an  Ef- 
fect and  symbolically  arrive  at  the  Cause.  Ail 
of  the  varied  processes  in  mathematics  are  but 
symbolic  expressions  of  various  applications 
of  the  fundamental  Principles  of  Attraction 
and  Radiation.  Thus  geometrical  ratio  in 
mathematics  is  symbolic  of  Growth.  Growth  is 
a  constant  repetition  which  produces  the  phe- 
nomenon of  the  ''doubling"  process.  The  in- 
vestigator will  readily  perceive  this  truth  by 
observation  and  analyzation.  Take,  for  in- 
stance, the  growth  of  the  population  of  Chi- 
cago. Chicago  is  now  exactly  twice  as  large 
as  it  was  at  one  time  in  the  past.  By  going 
back  to  that  time  we  can  readily  perceive  that 
it  was  then  just  twice  as  large  as  at  some  previ- 
ous time,  and  so  on.  Consider  in  the  same  man- 
ner the  growth  of  a  tree,  or  a  rolling  snow-ball. 
Also  falling  bodies  which  constantly  grow  in 
motion.  The  Law  in  each  case  is  identical.  That 
is  easily  comprehended. 

The  difficulty  the  student  encounters  lies  in 
the  fact  that  he  is  often  unable  to  perceive  that 
the  great  Law  of  Change  is  the  balance-wheel, 
or  safety-valve,  or  brake  of  the  great  Law  of 

99 


METAMOKPHOSE 

Growth.  In  some  things,  however,  this  is  most 
apparent;  for  instance,  consider  the  result  if 
there  were  no  such  thing  as  death,  or  what 
would  be  the  result  of  the  growth  of  Chicago 
if  everybody  who  went  there  stayed  there?* 

These  two  great  Laws  work  in  absolute  har- 
mony. Change  being  the  result  of  Growth,  and 
Growth  being  the  result  of  Change. 

If,  therefore,  man  would  build  a  permanent 
institution  or  establish  a  permanent  System  of 
Economics,  he  must  employ  these  great  Prin- 
ciples in  such  a  manner  that  their  operation  is 
harmonious  and  continuous.  If  he  would 
evolve  an  Economic  System  that  will  confer 
benefits  on  each  and  every  participant,  he  must 
intelligently  apply  the  great  Principle  of  Evo- 
lution— Growth  and  Change — since  that  is  thw 
only  Principle  through  which  any  benefits  ac- 
crue to  mankind.  Possibly  a  pertinent  illustra- 
tion is  here  necessary  to  make  this  fact  perfect- 
ly plain:  The  great  Principle  of  Increase — 
Growth — ^brings  our  harvest  of  wheat,  while 
consumption — Change — completes  the  benefit. 
Thus  the  complete  process  by  which  we  obtain 
beneficial  results  is  the  production  and  utiliza- 
tion of  the  thing,  and  it  matters  not  what  the 
thing  is,  whether  it  be  an  idea  or  a  wheelbar- 
row. 

We  may,  therefore,  consider  Growth  and 
Change  two  of  the  Laws  which  are  absolutely 

*See  Note   (j)   Appendix. 

100 


FUNDAMENTAL  PRINCIPLES 

essential  to  our  System.  There  is  another  Law 
— a  great  Natural  Law — which  must  also  be 
utilzed  in  connection  with  these  two.  It  re- 
quires a  chapter  by  itself. 

"Deity  is  progressive,  so  man  can  never  cease 
to  be.  On,  and  on,  and  on,  with  Deific  power 
God  moves  in  ever-increasing  whirls  of  Evolu- 
tion. ' ' — Burgoyne. 


CHAPTER  VII 
Precept  or  Law 

"Therefore  all  things  whatsoever  ye  would 
that  men  shouki  do  to  you  do  ye  even  so  to 
them;  this  is  the  LAW." — Matthew. 

If  one  would  know  or  understand  the  things 
that  are,  and  how  they  are  ordered  and  gov 
erned,  he  must  of  necessity  come  into  a  com- 
prehension of  their  underlying  Causes,  the 
amalgamation  of  which  we  will  designate  as 
TRUTH. 

The  vital  Principles  of  existence  differ  from 
each  other  as  do  our  physical  senses  of  hear- 
ing, seeing,  feeling,  smelling,  and  tasting,  but 
they  blend  together  in  their  operations,  each 
assisting  the  other  in  the  furtherance  of  the 
Divine  Plan,  as  do  the  senses  harmonize  and 
blend  together  in  the  scheme  of  human  con- 
sciousness.* 

Giant  Energy,  together  with  certain  members 
of  his  family,  their  characteristics  and  duties, 
have  been  briefly  discussed,  and  the  conclusion 
was  reached  that  Energy,  with  his  progeny,  are 

*See  Note  (k)  Appendix. 

102 


PRECEPT  OR  LAW 

tlie  Workmen  who  are  materializing  the  Great 
Architect's  plan  of  Evolution. 

Since  all  consciousness  is  acquired  through 
comparison,  a  pertinent  material  illustration 
may  be  of  assistance  in  the  understanding  of 
the  subject  underlying  this  chapter. 

Let  us  then  have  in  mind  the  complete  mod- 
ern process  of  building,  from  the  preparation 
of  the  ground  for  the  foundation  to  the  finish- 
ing touches  of  the  completed  structure.  Call  to 
mind  as  many  of  the  details  as  possible,  and 
particularly  consider  the  various  materials  and 
tools  used  and  Jiow  the  materials  are  fastened 
together,  each  lending  support  to  the  other.  Do 
not  let  these  words  glide  through  an  empty 
head,  in  one  ear  and  out  the  other,  but  let  us 
each  set  our  thought  machine  in  motion  and  an- 
alyze the  building  process  with  all  the  detail  of 
which  we  are  capable.  Some  may  be  more  pro- 
ficient than  others  in  this  exercise,  but  that  does 
not  matter  since  the  important  thing  is  that  the 
attempt  be  made. 

Having  the  process  in  mind,  arrange  its  com- 
ponent parts  in  the  order  of  their  importance, 
and  separate  each  class  likewise ;  then  say  which 
is  the  most  important  feature,  which  the  second, 
and  what  position  is  occupied  by  the  tools  and 
the  materials. 

Must  we  not  admit  that  the  thing  of  supreme 
importance  is  the  Intelligence  that  conceives 
and  directs,  while  auxiliary  to  the  Intelligence 

103 


METAMORPHOSE 

is  the  harmonious  Union  of  the  Principles 
through  which,  by  which,  and  in  which  the  cre- 
ation is  possible  1 

The  tools  and  materials  are  removed  far 
down  the  scale  of  importance,  since  they  are 
material,  and  all  material  manifestations  what- 
soever are  possible  only  through  something 
higher,  a  Divine  Essence  called  Love,  which 
harmonizes  and  unites  the  atoms,  moleculea, 
and  particles. 

This  Divine  Essence  is  an  Eternal  Principle 
co-existing  with  Energy  and,  as  already  ex- 
plained, is  of  equal  importance  in  the  great 
Order  of  Things.  This  Essence  is  the  basis  of 
this  chapter. 

Arrayed  against  Divine  Order  is  man's  re- 
bellious Ignorance  with  all  its  grim  offspring, 
Selfishness,  Greed,  Fear,  Malice,  Hate,  Slander, 
Envy,  Deceit,  Treachery,  Lust,  blind  Prejudice, 
and  so  on  through  the  long,  long  list  of  human 
error.  All  Evil  is  of  and  within  man,  and  it 
lives  and  breathes  and  has  its  being  only  within 
the  mind  which  harbors  it,  and  nowhere  else  in 
all  the  Universe!  "As  a  man  thinketh  in  his 
heart,  so  is  he."  There  is  no  Evil  in  horses, 
dogs,  snakes,  fleas,  or  mosquitoes ;  they  are  sim- 
ply natural  manifestations  of  life.  There  is  no 
Evil  in  arsenic,  strychnine,  or  prussic  acid; 
neither  is  there  Evil  in  a  revolver  nor  a  cannon. 
Evil  is  simply  a  condition  of  mind.    When  this 

104 


PRECEPT  OR  LAW 

is  thoroughly  understood  by  an  individual,  it 
will  be  of  great  assistance  to  him  in  coming  into 
his  heritage  of  Peace,  Happiness  and  Content- 
ment. Every  human  consciousness  can  make  it- 
self just  as  unhappy  as  it  desires !  That  seems 
to  be  a  queer  statement,  does  it  not?  But  it  cer- 
tainly seems  as  though  some  people  desire  to 
be  unhappy  and  malicious,  and  make  every  ef- 
fort to  attain  their  desire  by  thinking  Evil  of 
everybody  else  and  everything.  Poor  souls! 
The  light  of  Universal  Love  has  not  yet  pen- 
etrated to  their  consciousness. 

The  spirit  of  Discord,  Disunion,  Rebellion, 
is  called  Satan.  He  was  cast  out  of  Heaven  as 
being  the  one  unworthy  thing. 

Reaching  the  earth  he  espoused  Ignorance 
as  his  willing  mistress  and  mouthpiece,  and 
from  this  alliance  are  born  the  monstrous  chil- 
dren of  Evil  which  debauch  the  world. 

Satan,  with  the  versatile  voice  of  Ignorance, 
is  the  devil  that  goeth  about  like  a  lion  seeking 
whom  he  may  devour. 

Hermes  says: 

Whether  are  you  carried,  0  Men,  drunken 
with  drinking  up  the  strong  Wine  of  Ignor- 
ance? which  seeing  you  cannot  bear.  Why  do 
you  not  vomit  it  up  again? 

Stand,  and  be  sober,  and  look  up  again  with 
the  eyes  of  your  heart ;  and  if  you  cannot  all  do 
so,  yet  do  as  many  as  you  can. 

For  the  malice  of  Ignorance  surroundeth  all 

105 


METAMORPHOSE 

the  Earth,  and  corrupteth  the  Soul,  shut  up  in 
the  Body,  not  suffering  it  to  arrive  at  the 
Havens  of  Salvation. 

Suffer  not  j^ourselves  to  be  carried  with  the 
great  stream,  but  stem  the  tide,  you  that  can 
lay  hold  of  the  Havens  of  Safety,  and  make 
your  full  course  towards  it. 

Seek  one  that  may  lead  you  by  the  hand,  and 
conduct  you  to  the  Door  of  Truth,  and  Know- 
ledge, where  the  clear  Light  is  that  is  pure  from 
Darkness,  where  there  is  not  one  drunken,  but 
all  are  sober  and  in  their  hearts  look  up  to  him, 
whose  pleasure  it  is  to  be  seen. 

For  he  cannot  be  heard  with  ears,  nor  seen 
with  eyes,  nor  expressed  in  words;  but  only  in 
mind  and  heart. 

But  first  thou  must  tear  in  pieces,  and  break 
through  the  garment  thou  wearest;  the  web  of 
Ignorance;  the  foundation  of  all  Mischief;  the 
bond  of  Corruption;  the  dark  Coverture;  the 
living  Death;  the  sensible  Carcass;  the  Sepul- 
chre, carried  about  with  us;  the  domestical 
Thief,  which  in  what  he  loves  us,  hates  us,  en- 
vies us. 

Such  is  the  hurtful  apparel  wherewith  thou 
art  clothed,  which  draws  and  pulls  thee  down- 
ward bv  its  own  self;  lest  looking  up  and  seeing 
the  beauty  of  Truth,  and  the  Good  that  is  re- 
ported therein,  thou  shouldst  hate  the  wicked- 
ness of  this  garment,  and  understand  the  traps 
and  ambushes  which  it  hath  laid  for  thee. 

Therefore  doth  it  labor  to  make  good  those 
things  that  seem,  and  are  by  the  Senses  judged 
and  determined;  and  the  things  that  are  truly, 
it  hides,  and  envelopeth  in  much  matter,  filling 

106 


PRECEPT  OR  LAW 

what  it  presents  unto  thee  with  hateful  pleas- 
ure, that  thou  canst  neither  hear  what  thou 
shouldst  hear,  nor  see  what  thou  shouldst  see. 

While,  ''And  the  light  shineth  in  the  dark- 
ness; and  the  darkness  comprehended  it  not," 
is  a  most  apt  Bible  exposition  of  Ignorance. 

Wisdom  is  a  state  wherein  human  conscious- 
ness is  illumined  by  the  light  of  Truth. 

Ignorance  is  a  state  of  human  consciousness 
from  which  the  light  of  Truth  is  excluded. 

Wisdom  is  a  state  of  human  consciousness 
which  complies,  agrees,  and  co-operates,  with 
Natural  Law. 

Ignorance  is  a  state  of  human  consciousness 
which  disputes,  repudiates,  and  opposes  Nat- 
ural Law. 

Wisdom  hastens  to  that  which  is  Good. 
Ignorance  impels  toward  Evil. 

Wisdom  is  substantial;  Ignorance  is  void. 
Wisdom  is  Spiritual,  Life,  Existence;  Ignor- 
ance is  Material,  Death,  Non-existence. 

The  speech  of  Wisdom  is  the  measured  ut- 
terance of  rational  or  logical  ideas :  the  speech 
of  Ignorance  is  the  idle  prattle  of  inane 
thought. 

The  above  ideas  are  presented  to  the  student 
for  his  contemplation  and  analyzation,  and 
whether  or  not  they  be  accepted  as  statements 
of  fact,  a  study  of  them  will  perhaps  aid  in  a 

107 


METAMORPHOSE 

clearer  understanding  of  the  following  propo- 
sitions : 

Prop.  1. — The  Supreme  Mind  conceived  a 
certain  Opeeation  of  Operations.  The  grand 
Operation  is  the  Cosmos;  the  Operations,  its 
constitution. 

Prop.  2. — To  establish  and  eternize  the 
Operation,  the  Maker  generated  certain  fixed 
Causes,  Principles  or  Laws  to  govern  its  ele- 
ments, severally,  relatively,  and  universally. 
These  Principles  or  Laws  we  designate  as  Na- 
tural Laws. 

Prop.  3. — No  thing  can  possibly  exist  out- 
side of  Natural  Law. 

Prop.  4. — Man — the  race  in  all  its  com- 
plexity— is  but  a  part,  or  an  Operation,  of  the 
Operation. 

Prop.  5. — Man  is  animated  by  and  subject  to 
the  Laws  which  govern  the  Operation. 

Prop.  6. — Man  is  dis-eased  when  he  violates 
Natural  Law,  and  his  dis-ease  is  slight  or  seri- 
ous according  to  the  degree  of  violation,  or  ac- 
cording to  the  degree  of  antagonism  his  op- 
position engenders. 

Prop.  7. — If  man  is  endowed  with  a  mind  cap- 
able of  comprehending  Natural  Law  and  its 
application,  then  he  is  the  supreme  arbiter  of 
his  earthly  condition  during  his  habitation  here. 

Contemplate  Prop.  6,  and  then  look  around 

108 


PRECEPT  OR  LAW 

you  and  observe  the  existing  dis-ease ;  the  moral 
sickness  and  death  of  the  body  politic ;  its  crime, 
its  shame,  its  slavery,  its  poverty,  and  despair. 

The  disgraceful  corruption  of  public  servants 
is  but  a  disease  of  the  body  politic.  Politicians 
are  born  as  other  citizens  are  born,  and  the 
chances  are  that  if  the  present  delectable  as- 
sortment of  public  "servants"  were  ousted  and 
their  places  filled  from  out  the  ranks  of  "re- 
spectable business  men,"  the  conditions  would 
not  be  greatly  improved. 

The  dis-ease  affects  the  entire  body  politic, 
not  a  portion  of  it.  It  affects  the  investigator 
as  well  as  the  investigated. 

Let  us  now  consider  Proposition  7: 

It  must  be  admitted  that  human  intelligence 
is  the  most  potent  power  in  the  world  outside 
of  Supreme  Intelligence.  Analytical  Eeason  is 
a  Supreme  attribute  of  the  human  mind  ancJ 
to  it  man  owes  his  present  environment.  By 
means  of  it  he  controls  Nature's  forces.  He 
enslaves  steam;  subjects  and  servants  the  light- 
ning; molds  and  fashions  crude  materials  into 
marvelous  buildings,  and  other  wonders.  Were 
it  not  for  this  faculty  there  would  be  no  inven- 
tion, no  progress  whatever.  His  very  accom- 
plishments are  conclusive  evidence  that  man  is 
endowed  with  a  mind  capable  of  comprehending 
Natural  Law  and  its  application,  but  he  is  still 
in  the  primary  class,  and  the  things  that  he  con- 
siders wonderful  today  will,  within  a  short  hun- 

109 


METAMORPHOSE 

dred  years,  have  long  since  passed  into  the  com- 
monplace, then  become  obsolete,  and  finally  will 
have  been  succeeded  by  marvels  beyond  present 
comprehension.  Washington,  Jefferson,  Frank- 
lin, and  their  colleagues  would  have  been  un- 
able to  comprehend  from  a  word  picture  some 
of  our  most  common  conveniences  of  today. 

The  duty  of  the  living,  however,  lies  neither 
in  the  entombed  Past  nor  the  embryonic  Fu- 
ture, but  in  the  sovereign  Present. 

Long  ages  ago  man  realized  that  every  Cause 
produces  a  responding  Effect,  and  that  every 
Effect  indicates  a  corresponding  Cause.  These 
are  the  Fundamental  Principles  on  which  is 
builded  the  science  of  Mathematics  which 
teaches  how,  by  means  of  symbols,  to  take  a 
Cause  and  *' mathematically"  deduce  the  Ef- 
fect, or  to  take  an  Effect  and  symbolically  ar- 
rive at  the  Cause.  All  things  and  all  conditions 
are  the  Effects  of  Causes. 

Peal  knowledge  is  the  comprehension  of  the 
Causes  which  produce  the  Effects.  Whatever 
you  can  hear,  see,  feel,  smell,  or  taste,  is  an  Ef- 
fect, and  the  Cause  lies  deeper. 

Having  the  Mind,  let  us  search  for  that  which 
will  bring  harmony  out  of  discord,  order  out 
of  chaos. 

The  masters  of  Philosophy  of  the  past  have 
reiterated  time  and  again  the  great  Truth  con- 
tained in  this  axiom,  ''Whatsoever  a  man  sow- 
eth,  that  shall  he  also  reap.** 

110 


PRECEPT  OR  LAW 

This  is  but  a  concise  statement  of  Nature's 
Law  of  Action  and  Reaction  in  connection  with 
Reproduction — Increase  or  Evolution. 

How  many  untold  millions  have  failed  to  re- 
alize that  in  that  simple  axiom  is  a  Golden  Key 
which  earthly  treasure  cannot  ''buy." 

You  must  sow  to  the  fleeting  moment  what- 
soever you  desire  to  reap,  remembering  always 
that  the  harvest  is  as  the  seed.  Would  you 
have  Joy?  Scatter  the  seeds  of  Joy!  Would 
you  have  Happiness?  Sow  the  seeds  of  Hap- 
piness! Would  you  have  Benefits?  Bestow 
the  seeds  of  Benefits !    Humanity  is  your  field! 

Man,  in  the  existing  conditions,  is  but  reap- 
ing the  harvest  of  his  own  sowing,  and  the  spirit 
which  animated  the  sowing  is  briefly  outlined 
in  Chapter  III. 

We  now  will  investigate  a  Natural  Law,  the 
violation  of  which  is  responsible  for  the  pres- 
ent economic  distress. 

In  the  Bible  we  read  of  certain  ''Command- 
ments ' '  having  been  given  to  man  for  his  guid- 
ance. Did  you  ever  stop  to  consider  what  these 
Commandments  are,  by  whom  they  were  given, 
and  by  whom  they  are  to  be  enforced?  Who  or 
what  punishes  you  if  you  violate  them?  Are 
you  punished  now  or  "hereafter?" 

Jesus  of  Nazareth  was  the  greatest  expound- 
er of  Natural  Law  the  world  has  ever  known, 
and  it  was  his  knowledge  of  Natural  Law  that 
enabled  him  to  perform  the  seeming  miracles. 

Ill 


METAMORPHOSE 

For  twenty  centuries  he  has  been  regarded  as 
unnatural  rather  than  natural.  He  was  a 
natural  product  of  immaculate  Good.  He  was 
endowed  with  Divine  Wisdom.  His  Sermon  on 
the  Mount  was  the  most  profound  discourse 
on  Natural  Law,  as  it  pertains  to  human  con- 
duct, of  which  there  is  record.  In  that  sermon 
he  stated  ''Think  not  that  I  am  come  to  destroy 
the  Law,  or  the  prophets ;  I  am  not  come  to  de- 
stroy, but  to  fulfill. 

"For  verily  I  say  unto  you,  till  Heaven  and 
Earth  pass,  one  jot  or  one  tittle  shall  in  no  wise 
pass  from  the  Law,  till  all  be  fulfilled." 

Then  by  masterly  logic  He  led  up  to  the  cli- 
max and  summarized  the  variations  into  one 
Law: 

''Therefoke  all  things  whatsoever  ye 
would  that  men  shottld  do  to  you,  do  ye  eveds 
SO  TO  them;  for  this  is  the  Law." 

And  He  added  a  phrase  with  meaning  sub- 
stantially as  follows:  And  the  Prophets,  those 
versed  in  the  Law,  have  been  telling  you  the 
same  thing  from  time  immemorial. 

Later  He  reiterated  this  Law  still  more  em- 
phatically. It  was  when  he  was  asked : '  *  Whicli 
is  the  greatest  Commandment?" 

He  answered  in  effect  as  follows:  Harken, 
everybody;  the  Lord  our  God  is  one  Lord,  and 
has  one  Supreme  Purpose.  He  is  the  GOOD. 
The  first  Commandment  is:  Thou  shalt  love 
the  Good  because  it  is  Good,  and  not  because 

112 


PRECEPT  OR  LAW 

you  will  receive  any  particular  benfit  from  it. 
You  should  forget  yourself  while  you  are  doing 
it.  In  other  words,  thou  shalt  love  the  Lord 
thy  God  with  all  thy  heart,  with  all  thy  soul, 
with  all  thy  mind,  with  all  thy  strength :  that  is 
the  first  commandment  and  the  second  is  like, 
yea,  it  is  a  part  of  it,  namely,  Thou  shall  love 
thy  neighbour  as  thyself! 

Paul  understood  and  said:  ''AH  the  Law  is 
fulfilled  in  one  word,  even  in  this:  Thou  shalt 
love  thy  neighbour  as  thyself." 

Let  us  now  enter  into  a  mathematical  demon- 
stration of  the  Natural  Law  on  which  the  Gold- 
en Rule  is  based,  and  for  that  purpose  we  will 
formulate  the  following  axioms : 

Natural  Law  is  Divine  Good  or  Truth. 

That  which  is  opposed  to  Truth  or  Natural 
Law  is  Error  or  Evil. 

Harmonious  Union,  or  Natural  Union,  can 
exist  only  when  each  works  for  all  and  all 

FOR  EACH. 

Equity  to  each  can  exist  only  through  the 
Natural  Union  of  all. 

The  above  are  the  foundation  stones  on  which 
the  Universe  is  builded. 

One  of  the  principle  lessons  to  be  learned  in 
the  contemplation  of  the  modern  process  of 
building  is  that  there  is  not  an  atom  in  the  Uni- 
verse that  works  for  itself  alone.  If  it  did  it 
would  be  working  in  Error.  It  would  be  out 
of  harmony  with  the  System  established  by  Su- 
ns 


METAMORPHOSE 
preme  Intelligence,  and  its  punishment  would 
be  swift  and  sure. 

By  applying  the  Universal  Law  of  Corres- 
pondence we  may  positively  assert  that  there 
is  not  an  individual  member  of  the  human  race 
who  works  for  himself  alone,  or  subsists  en- 
tirely ujDon  the  products  of  his  own  work. 

In  this  connection  it  may  be  well  to  analyze 
the  full  significance  of  the  following  statement: 

No  matter  what  position  you  hold,  if  you 
ivork,  you  are  always  working  for  others. 

The  individual  appears  to  work  for  himself, 
but  the  contrary  is  true.  He  works  for  others. 
For  instance,  who  made  your  shoes,  your 
clothes,  your  thread,  your  matches?  Is  there 
a  single  thing  you  possess  that  you  alone  made? 
Somebody  is  working  for  you  every  hour.  Who 
is  it? 

Cloth  is  woven  by  machinery.  Machinery  is 
made  of  iron.  From  the  ore  hidden  in  the  earth 
to  the  finished  machine  that  weaves  the  cloth, 
many,  many  hands  are  employed,  and  so  on 
through  each  successive  step  from  the  raw  ma- 
terial to  your  material  welfare.  Thus  many 
thousand  individuals  are  contributing  to  your 
benefit  daily  and  you  do  comparatively  little  in 
return ! 

You  are  getting  more  than  twofold  or  ten- 
fold every  day  of  your  life. 

If  you  don't  believe  that  statement  just  try 
to  live  absolutely  independent  of  your  fellow- 

114 


PRECEPT  OR  LAW 

men  for  a  year  and  use  nothing  that  you,  your- 
self, do  not  make,  and  see  if  you  have  one  fifti- 
eth of  the  daily  conveniences  you  now  enjoy. 

You  should  readily  perceive  that  almost  your 
very  existence  depends  upon  others.  There- 
fore, why  waste  your  energy  in  trying  to  ben- 
efit yourself  when  you  cannot?  Why  not  do 
the  work  that  comes  to  your  hand,  because  it  is 
Good,  and  not  because  you  will  receive  any  par- 
ticular benefit  from  it?  Why  not  work  for  the 
welfare  of  others  with  joyous  good-will  and  a 
thankful  heart  for  your  abilty  to  do  so?  Why 
not  recognize  your  true  position  in  the  great 
Operation,  and  be  naturally  good  and  do  what 
you  can  for  others,  and  thus  become  closer  al- 
lied with  the  Universal? 

The  Divine  Law  of  Correspondence  gives 
positive  assurance  that  the  bread  you  cast  up- 
on the  waters  will  return  ere  many  days.  The 
balance  is  maintained  by  the  Good  itself. 

In  this  connection  your  attention  is  called 
to  the  fact  that  Giving  and  Receiving  is  but  an 
application  of  the  Universal  Law  of  Action 
and  Reaction,  or  Growth  and  Change. 

Giving  and  Receiving  are  the  words  most 
clearly  expressing  the  material  relations  of 
men,  and  in  them  are  embodied  the  Positive  and 
Negative  elements  of  the  Golden  Rule.  Do  to 
others  is  Giving:  What  others  do  to  you,  Re- 
ceiving. 

This  brings  us  to  an  axiom  of  exceeding  im- 

115 


METAMORPHOSE 

portance,  and  because  of  the  truth  incorpor- 
ated in  this  axiom  was  the  Law  of  the  Golden 
Rule  pronounced: 

You  cannot  give  yourself  anything. 

At  first  glance  that  axiom  is  of  little  conse- 
quence, but  a  further  contemplation  of  it  serves 
to  greatly  enhance  its  importance.  It  serves 
to  absolutely  confirm  the  truth  of  the  statement 
that  there  is  not  at  atom  in  the  material  uni- 
verse nor  an  individual  in  the  body  politic  that 
works  for  itself  alone. 

Out  of  this  comes  another  axiom  of  extreme 
importance : 

//  you  give,  you  must  necessarily  give  to 
others. 

From  these  two  axioms  we  can  readily  deduce 
the  following : 

Therefore,  your  duty  to  your  Creator,  to  hu- 
manity, and  to  yourself  is  to  do  for  others  that 

WHICH  you  would  HAVE  OTHERS  DO   FOR  YOU. 

That  is  vastly  more  than  a  mere  religious 
precept  to  be  talked  about  on  Sunday.  It  is  a 
Divine  Command — a  Natural  Law — that  should 
be  obeyed  every  day  in  the  week  and  every  hour 
in  the  day,  because  it  is  through  this  Law  that 
the  OPERATION,  so  far  as  man  is  concerned, 
will  be  completed  1 

Any  '* precept''  that  antagonizes  Natural 
Law  is  balderdash. 

Let  us  go  back  to  one  of  the  fundamental 
axioms  again: 

115 


PRECEPT  OR  LAW 

That  which  is  opposed  to  Truth  or  Naturai* 
Law  is  Error  or  Evil. 

Why  should  you  oppose  Natural  Law!  Why 
not  recognize  and  join  allegiance  with  that 
which  showers  you  with  blessings  ?  Why  longer 
allow  Greed  and  Fear  to  stifle  the  Good  within 
you?  Why  not  give  ear  to  the  Christ  within 
you  which  says,  ''Do  good  because  it  is  Good" 
and  *'Love  thy  neighbour  as  thyself"! 

**But,"  you  say,  "others  will  not  do  this." 

You  are  answered:  "Have  you  some  partic- 
ular individual  in  mind?  Do  what  you  can  to 
show  him  the  better  way.  Don't  look  for  ex- 
cuses— look  for  an  opportunity  to  correct  er- 
ror.   Do  your  duty." 

Whenever  any  individual  seems  to  trespass 
upon  you,  study  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount,  and 
realize  something  of  the  blind  stupidity  of  those 
selfish  ones  who,  by  crucifying  Jesus,  thought 
to  crucify  the  Voice  of  Wisdom. 

"O,  son,  Truth  is  the  most  perfect  virtue, 
and  the  highest  Good  itself,  not  troubled  by 
Matter,  not  encompassed  by  a  body,  naked, 
clear,  unchangeable,  venerable,  unalterable 
Good. ' ' — Hermes. 


CHAPTER  VIII 
Substance  and  Shadow 

"Thou  Shalt  separate  the  earth  from  the  fine, 
the  subtle  from  the  gross,  gently,  with  much 
sagacity. ' ' — Hermes. 

What  is  ''wealth"? 

Is  the  rag  doll  and  toy  cradle  wealth  to  the 
little  child?  Is  wampum  wealth  to  the  Indian? 
Are  guady  beads  wealth  to  the  savage  ?  Is  wis- 
dom wealth  to  the  sage?  Is  wealth  the  product 
of  labor? 

Supposing  an  individual  should  labor  five 
years  in  the  making  of  a  flying  machine  that, 
on  its  completion,  wouldn't  fly  and  could  never 
be  made  to  fly,  and  could  not  be  utilized  for  any 
other  beneficent  purpose,  would  that  "product 
of  labor"  be  wealth? 

Is  a  store  of  arsenic  wealth?  Is  a  portion  of 
that  store  in  the  stomach  of  its  dead  victim 
wealth?  If  the  first  is  wealth  and  the  second 
is  not,  then  at  just  what  point  did  it  cease  to 
be  wealth  and  become  the  agent  of  death? 

The  distiller  is  rich.    His  store  of  whiskey  is 

118 


SUBSTANCE  AND  SHADOW 

wealth,  is  it  not?    It  leaves  his  possession  and 
brings  untold  misery  to  the  race ! 
.What  is  ^'wealth?" 

Shall  we  say  that  wealth  means  large  posses- 
sions? That  the  mere  possession  of  an  abund- 
ance of  this  world's  goods  is  wealth? 

Is  the  poor  insensate  miser,  possessed  of 
hoarded  thousands,  who  lives  in  squalor  and 
dies  of  starvation,  *' wealthy?" 

Is  wealth  a  mocking  demon  in  tinsel  garb 
and  mask  of  pleasure  luring  us  on  to  destruc- 
tion? 

Is  wealth  the  garish  embellishment  with 
which  Satan  secures  the  continued  allegiance  of 
Ignorance  ? 

''What  is  ''wealth?''  Who  are  the  "weal- 
thy?'' 

We  will  leave  the  question  for  you  to  answer 
to  your  own  satisfaction,  if  you  deem  it  import- 
ant. We  will  deal  here  with  the  momentous 
question  of  Surplus. 

Surplus  is  the  leavings  from  the  repast  of 
Necessity.  When  collected,  it  is  the  increment 
of  the  unused.  The  intelligent  utility  of  Sur- 
plus is  a  problem  for  more  people  than  cooks. 
It  confronts  every  individual  to  whom  Surplus 
accrues. 

We  will  discuss  the  problem  of  Surplus  only 
as  it  relates  to  Economics. 

In  the  process  of  the  production  of  the  things 
we  have,  whatever  the  individual  or  machine 

119 


METAMORPHOSE 

makes  or  produces  in  excess  of  what  it  con- 
sumes of  that  thing  during  the  process  of  its 
making,  is  Surplus,  And  this  particular  form 
of  Surplus  is  created  out  of  other  Surplus.  The 
expectation  or  intention  of  the  one  who  directs 
the  production  of  a  surplus  product  is  that  it 
will  be  eventually  utilized  or  "consumed"  eith- 
er by  himself  or  others.  That  which  he  does  not 
need  for  his  own  use,  he  desires  to  swap  with 
others  for  some  of  their  surplusage  of  other 
things  which  he  may  need  or  want. 

To  facilitate  this  swapping  of  Surplus,  man 
devised  a  plan  whereby  Surplus  could  be  rep- 
resented by  a  universal  commodity,  useless  for 
other  purposes,  which  he  has  named  "Money." 
Money  represents  Surplus  as  a  word  repre- 
sents an  Idea.  The  Idea  is  the  real  thing,  the 
word  its  symbol.  Surplus  is  the  real  thing, 
Money  its  symbol.  Thus  whenever  we  see  a 
certain  number  of  figures  preceded  by  the  dol- 
lar sign,  we  know  that  they  are  intended  to 
represent  a  certain  amount  of  Surplus. 

In  preceding  chapters  we  have  elucidated  the 
fact  that  the  unit  of  United  States  money  is 
an  imaginary  dollar  of  the  "value"  of  23.22 
grains  of  pure  gold,  and  this  unit,  and  multiples 
and  fractions  thereof,  are  symbolized  by  means 
of  small  pieces  of  metal  or  paper. 

The  two  metals  mostly  used  in  making  the 
images  of  the  money  unit  are  named  "gold" 
and  "silver."    These  mefals  are  not  used  be- 

120 


SUBSTANCE  AND  SHADOW 

cause  they  are  the  most  valuable  to  the  human 
race  for  other  purposes,  since  they  are  far  less 
valuable  than  copper,  iron,  lead,  and  other 
metals  which  man  can  utilize  to  far  greater 
advantage.  Gold  has  few  uses  outside  of 
money,  jewelry,  and  dentistry.  The  utility  of 
silver  is  likewise  circumscribed.  They  have  ad- 
ditional advantage  for  money  purposes  inas- 
much as  they  are  not  subject  to  rust  or  corro- 
sion, and  also  that  the  world's  supply  is  lim- 
ited. 

''Price"  is  a  term  used  to  signify  the  rela- 
tion between  Money  and  Surplusage,  always 
with  respect  to  the  supply  and  demand  of  both 
the  money  and  the  Surplusage.  This  is  prob- 
ably best  illustrated  by  a  Board  of  Trade  "cor- 
ner" on  wheat  and  the  subsequent  "breaking" 
of  the  corner.  During  the  process  of  the  fluc- 
tuation of  the  "price"  the  value  of  a  bushel  of 
wheat,  resting  in  its  beneficial  utility,  remains 
stationary.  Thus,  you  can  readily  perceive  that 
"price"  and  "value"  are  two  words  of  separ- 
ate and  distinct  meaning,  notwithstanding  the 
fact  that  they  are  commonly  used  as  synonom- 
ous  terms. 

Now  follows  a  phase  of  the  problem  of  Eco- 
nomics which  merits  the  close  attention  of  the 
student. 

The  things  or  products  that  we  have  termed 
Surplus  are  produced  by  the  body  politic.  "Dol- 

121 


METAMORPHOSE 

lars"  are  manufactured  by  a  few  individuals 
delegated  for  that  purpose,  whom  we  vaguely 
dub  the  '^ Government."  Neither  producing 
element  knows  what  the  other  is  accomplishing 
during  the  process,  yet  each  product— Money 
and  Surplus — represents  the  other! 

How,  then,  is  the  equilibrium  between 
*Unoney''  and  other  products  maintained? 

The  answer  to  this  question  will  serve  to  fur- 
ther elucidate  the  purpose  of  the  dollar  unit, 
and  the  great  question  of  finance. 

We  are  free  to  state  here  that  if  the  balance 
between  these  two  things  depended  on  the  in- 
telligence of  either  the  ''Government"  or  the 
body  politic,  and  their  harmonious  co-opera- 
tion, there  would  exist  a  state  of  constant  finan- 
cial turmoil.  Even  as  it  is,  the  balance  is  often 
disturbed  and  as  a  result  we  have  ''booms" 
and  "panics."  Money  is  simply  manufactured 
by  the  Government.  The  people  utilize  it,  and 
the  people  alone,  with  the  aid  of  machinery, 
maintain  its  integrity  by  production. 

The  adjustment  of  the  relationship  of  Money 
and  Surplus  is  not  brought  about  by  man-made 
law,  but  is  entirely  dependent  on  Natural  Law. 
This  may  be  made  plain  by  what  follows. 

In  Chapter  IV.  is  set  forth  the  fact  that 
Money  is  "Credit."  We  must  admit  that  Money 
represents  Surplus.  By  applying  the  axiom 
"Things  equal  to  the  same  thing  are  equal  to 
each  other,"  we  find  that  "Credit"  represents 

122 


SUBSTANCE  AND  SHADOW 

Surplus.  Credit  to  one  individual  simply 
means  something  coming  from  another  individ- 
ual or  individuals.  This  ''something  coming" 
must  of  necessity  be  Surplus — something  that 
has  not  been  used  or  consumed.  It  will  be  re- 
membered that  Surplus  is  what  is  left  after  the 
wants  of  Necessity  have  been  supplied. 

Credit  is  the  polar  opposite  of  Debit,  and,  un- 
der Natural  Law,  one  polar  opposite  cannot  pos- 
sibly exist  without  its  complement,  or  contrari- 
ety. Hence  Credit  cannot  possibly  exist  with- 
out Debit,  nor  can  Debit  exist  without  Credit. 
The  expansion  of  Credit  means  the  expansion 
of  Debit,  and  the  expansion  of  Debit  means 
the  expansion  of  Credit. 

Since  the  creative  power  always  lies  with 
the  Negative  or  Feminine  Principle  of  Nature, 
we  now  arrive  at  the  significant  axiom: 

Credit  is  created  hy,  or  out  of,  Debt  or  debts. 

Repeating  a  statement  from  Chapter  IV. 
**  Credit  always  represents  and  is  represented 
by  so  many  dollars,  and  differs  from  the  actual 
dollars  themselves  only  to  the  extent  that  its 
universal  use  is  restricted,  and  under  normal 
conditions  it  can  always  be  transformed  into 
dollars." 

A  bank  draft  is  a  good  illustration  of  Credit 
that  bears  a  close  relationship  to  actual  dol- 
lars. 

A  bond  endorsed  by  the  whole  people — a 
Government  bond — is  as  much  universal  Credit 

123 


METAMORPHOSE 

as  are  "dollars,"  and  is  readily  exchangeable 
for  or  transformed  into  "dollars."  An  indi- 
vidual in  possession  of  a  thousand  dollar  Gov- 
ernment bond  simply  has  evidence  of  indebted- 
ness of  the  body  politic  to  him  of  a  "thousand 
dollars'  worth"  of  their  surplus  products.  An 
individual  possessing  one  thousand  dollars  of 
"money"  simply  possesses  evidence  of  like  in- 
debtedness. 

An  individual  in  possession  of  a  Certificate 
of  Deposit  of  one  thousand  dollars  from  some 
bank  simply  possesses  evidence  of  indebtedness 
of  that  particular  institution  to  him.  If  all  goes 
well  with  the  bank,  and  we  here  assume  that  it 
does,  then  this  individual  Credit  can  be  quick- 
ly transformed  into  universal  Credit  through 
the  process  of  "drawing  the  money"  from  the 
bank. 

If  an  individual  possesses  a  thousand  dollars' 
worth  of  the  bonds  or  stock  of  some  incorpor- 
ated enterprise,  which  are  readily  salable  at 
their  par  value,  then  he  is  in  possession  of  a 
thousand  dollars'  worth  of  individual  Credit, 
which  can  be  readily  transformed  into  univer- 
sal Credit. 

If  an  individual  possesses  a  thousand  dollar 
note  against  some  other  individual  or  institu- 
tion that  is  "good,"  payable  in  thirty  days, 
then  he  is  in  possession  of  individual  Credit 
which  he  can  transform  into  universal  Credit 
in  the  near  future. 

124 


SUBSTANCE  AND  SHADOW 

If  an  individual  has  a  thousand  dollar  ''ac- 
count" against  another  individual  or  institu- 
tion, which  is  "good,"  payable  on  demand,  he 
is  in  possession  of  individual  Credit  which  can 
be  readily  transformed  into  universal  Credit. 

Thus,  someone  else  always  owes  whatever 
the  individual  has  coming,  and  thus  you  may 
perceive  that  in  a  general  sense  "Money"  and 
"Credit"  are  synonymous. 

There  are  probably  in  existence  today  United 
States  "dollars"  aggregating  approximately 
$2,000,000,000  cash,  of  which  there  are  perhaps, 
some  $600,000,000  actually  in  circulation,  al- 
though elsewhere  on  these  pages  we  use  Treas- 
ury circulation  statistics  which,  to  use  the 
words  of  the  Comptroller  of  the  Currency,  are 
"assumed  to  be"  correct.* 

The  total  Credit — consequently  Debit — of  our 
people,  exclusive  of  dollars,  consists  of  govern- 
ment bonds,  stocks,  bonds,  notes,  book  accounts, 
bank  deposits,  etc.,  the  total  of  which  can  only 
be  roughly  estimated  at  say  $300,000,000,000. 

Comparatively  few  actual  "dollars"  are  used 
in  daily  transactions  when  the  aggregate  of 
the  business  done  is  considered.  At  least  nine- 
ty-five per  cent,  of  business  is  transacted  with 
Credit  or  the  representation  of  dollars  on  pa- 
per and  not  the  "dollars"  themselves,  and  when 
we  consider  the  various  book  accounts,  etc.,  it 
would  probably  increase  the  ratio  to  ninety- 

*See  Note    fl)   Appendix. 

125 


METAMORPHOSE 

eight  or  ninety-nine  per  cent,  of  Credit  to  one 
or  two  per  cent,  of  cash. 

This  ratio  does  ^^ot  remain  stationary,  but 

FLUCTUATES  UXUER  THE  LaWS  OF  ATTRACTION  AND 

Radiation,  and  this  fluctuation  is  that  which 

PRESERVES    the    BALANCE    BETWEEN    CrEDIT       AND 

Surplus. 

Under  normal  or  natural  conditions  the  deli- 
cate poise  of  Credit  and  Surplus  would  be  main- 
tained. 

Before  we  endeavor  to  make  plain  that  which 
destroys  this  balance,  we  shall  further  consider 
Credit  in  reference  to  its  creation  and  destruc- 
tion or  dissolution. 

Probably  no  one  will  dispute  the  following 
statements  of  fact: 

Credit  eocists. 

It  is  therefore  created. 

Credit  pertains  exclusively  to  the  material 

relations  of  men,  and  is  created  BY  THEM. 

The  BASE  ON  which  Credit  rests  is  Surplus. 

The  Universal  Principle  of  Evolution  is  in 
constant  evidence  in  the  continued  operation 
of  the  simultaneous  process  of  creation  and  de- 
struction of  Surplus  and  Credit. 

It  is  unnecessary  to  give  detailed  illustra- 
tions of  the  creation  of  Surplus  products,  since 
whoever  so  desires  can  find  examples  in  factory, 
farm,  and  mine.  The  creation  of  Credit,  while 
similar,  is  less  ay)parent. 

Probably  the  best  example  of  a  Credit  fac- 

126 


I 


SUBSTANCE  AND  SHADOW 

tory  is  a  bank.  Men,  by  means  of  a  saw-mill, 
manufacture  lumber  out  of  logs.  The  boards 
from  one  log  can  be  fashioned  into  a  box  large 
enough  to  contain  several  logs  of  the  size  of 
the  one  from  which  the  boards  were  cut.  In  a 
similar  manner,  by  means  of  the  banking  sys- 
tem, men  manufacture  Credit  out  of  dollars  of 
sufficient  quantity  to  absorb  several  times  the 
number  of  dollars  from  which  it  was  created. 
As  evidence  of  this  we  again  call  your  atten- 
tion to  the  fact  that  the  aggregate  debt  of  all 
of  the  banks  in  the  United  States  to  depositors 
is  some  $12,000,000,000,  while  the  total  number 
of  ''dollars"  in  existence  is  less  than  $3,000,- 
000,000.  In  this  connection  you  will  observe 
that  the  banking  institution  is  the  machine,  and 
the  officers,  depositors,  and  borrowers,  are  the 
operators. 

This  machine  is  not  extremely  complicated, 
but  is  very  simple.  The  only  difficulty  is  to  se- 
cure a  sufficient  amount  of  raw  material  to  keep 
it  in  operation.  A  bank  without  depositors  is 
like  a  store  without  customers.  Here  is  the 
mode  of  operation : 

A  has  $100  of  Surplus  Universal  Credit 
— ''dollars" — for  which  he  has  no  immediate 
use.  He  deposits  it  in  a  bank.  The  bank  gives 
him  a  piece  of  paper  whereon  it  acknowledges 
its  individual  debt  to  him  to  the  amount  of  $100. 
The  bank  then  loans  the  $100  Universal  Credit 

127 


METAMORPHOSE 

to  B  and  secures  a  similar  piece  of  paper  from 
B,  acknowledging  B's  indebtedness  to  the  bank. 
B  transfers  the  same  $100  Universal  Credit  to 
C  taking  in  exchange  therefore  something  that 
C  has  to  **sell."  C  then  takes  the  same  $100 
Universal  Credit  to  the  same  bank  and  receives 
a  piece  of  paper  exactly  like  that  given  to  A, 
acknowledging  the  indebtedness  of  the  bank  to 
him  to  the  amount  of  $100.  The  bank  then 
loans  the  same  $100  Universal  Credit  to  D.  D 
transfers  the  same  $100  Universal  Credit  to  E. 
E  deposits  the  same  $100  Universal  Credit  in 
the  same  bank  and  likewise  receives  an  acknow- 
ledgement on  a  piece  of  paper  of  the  bank^s 
indebtedness  to  him,  whereupon  the  bank  again 
loans  and  again  receives  the  deposit,  and  so 
on  indefinitely. 

In  the  transactions  noted  above  you  will  per- 
ceive that  A,  C,  and  E,  each  have  $100  "on  de- 
posit" in  the  bank,  making  an  aggregate  de- 
posit of  $300,  although  identically  the  same 
*' dollars*'  were  deposited  in  each  case.  This 
illustrates  to  you  the  process  of  manufacturing 
individual  Credit  out  of  Universal  Credit,  and 
how  it  is  possible  for  the  people  to  have  four 
times  as  many  dollars  "on  deposit"  in  banks  as 
there  are  "dollars"  in  existence.  It  must  be 
self-evident  that  this  process  does  not  increase 
the  number  of  "dollars" — ^Universal  Credit — 
in  existence. 

You  have  undoubtedly  passed  through  turn- 

128 


SUBSTANCE  AND  SHADOW 

stiles  which  record  the  aggregate  number  of 
individuals  passing  through.  They  are  often 
used  at  baseball  parks  to  record  the  number  of 
people  entering,  but  they  are  not  there  used  to 
record  the  number  leaving.  In  the  banking  bus- 
iness two  turnstiles  are  used,  called  ledgers. 
One  to  record  the  number  of  dollars  entering 
into  the  bank,  the  deposits;  the  other  to  record 
the  dollars  going  out  of  the  bank,  the  loans.  In 
ascertaining  the  amount  of  the  deposits  we  sim- 
ply read  the  turnstile  that  registers  the  num- 
ber of  ''dollars"  that  went  in.  If  we  will  sub- 
tract the  number  that  went  out  from  the  num- 
ber that  went  in,  we  can  easily  determine  the 
number  that  ought  now  to  be  on  the  inside. 

The  figures  on  the  ledger  are  not  the  actual 
dollars  themselves,  but  we  might  term  them 
*' dollar"  tracks,  which  do  not  necessarily  in- 
dicate that  the  game  is  now  in  that  particular 
place  or  even  in  the  neighborhood. 

Thus  a  portion  of  our  Credit  is  created  by 
its  recorded  movement  from  individual  to  in- 
dividual; and  we  can  readily  perceive  that  all 
of  the  existing  Credit  cannot  at  once  be  trans- 
formed into  dollars,  nor  is  that  necessary. 

The  Law  of  Average  is  the  Golden  Mean  be- 
tween the  Positive  and  Negative  elements  of 
Evolution.  And  this  same  Law  of  Average  is 
what  furnishes  the  banking  system  with  the 
only  stability  it  has!  If  everybody  insisted 
on  transforming  all  of  their  bank  ** deposit" 

129 


METAMORPHOSE 

credits  into  dollars  in  one  day,  or  one  week,  or 
one  montli,  or  one  year,  we  would  have  a  finan- 
cial ''panic"  compared  with  which  all  of  our 
other  panics  condensed  into  one  would  be  as  a 
gentle  zephyr  to  a  cyclone. 

Here  is  an  interesting  editorial  article  con- 
taining a  parallel  statement  made  by  the  Sec- 
retary of  the  United  States  Treasury: 

Where  the  Money  Is. 

Secretary  Shaw,  in  a  recent  speech,  made  a 
significant  statement,  one  that  deserves  more 
attention  than  it  has  received.  He  was  argu- 
ing against  any  revision  of  the  tariff,  on  the 
ground  that  such  action  would  disturb  business 
interests,  and  he  went  on  to  say  that  the  farm- 
ers were  never  so  prosperous.  They  are  out 
of  debt  and  have  money.  Asked  where  it  was, 
they  say, ' '  In  the  local  banks. ' '  The  local  bank 
ers  also  say  that  they  are  doing  well;  money 
plentiful  and  reserves  high.  "Where  is  your 
surplus  f"  '*0h,  in  Omaha,  Kansas  City,  Min- 
neapolis, etc."  The  bankers  of  these  cities 
are  also  all  right;  their  money  not  in  local  use 
is  in  Chicago.  In  Chicago  it  is  the  same  story, 
but  the  money  is  in  New  York.  Finally  in  that 
great  financial  center,  the  Secretary  said: 

*'You  will  find  that  both  deposits  and  loans 
have  been  enormous.  The  money  is  not  in  the 
banks.  There  are  only  six  national  banks  in 
New  York  that  have  not  been  below  their  legal 
reserves  since  January  1.  You  want  to  know 
where  the  money  is?  Well,  $450,000,000  is 
loaned  by  national  banks  on  the  bonds  of  Indus- 
trial  corporations.     These  corporations  issued 

130 


SUBSTANCE  AND  SHADOW 

bonds  instead  of  stocks  because  the  national 
banks  can  take  the  former  and  can't  take  the 
latter.  Intrinsically  they  are  no  better  than 
stocks.  In  most  of  them  there  has  been  a  lot  of 
water-curing.  Here  you  see  where  $450,000,000 
of  the  country's  surplus  stands  against  a  lot  of 
undigested,  promotion-produced  securities.  The 
trust  companies  have  put  out  millions  more  in 
the  same  way.  That  is  where  we  stand.  It  is 
all  right  as  long  as  it  is  all  right.  But  I  don't 
want  to  see  anything  happen.  I  don't  want 
to  see  these  industrials  begin  to  topple  over, 
to  fall  against  one  another  and  come  down  in  a 
heap  like  children's  play-blocks." 

Yes,  '* there  is  where  we  stand,"  These  cor- 
porations are  using  about  half  a  million,  about 
a  quarter  of  the  country's  money,  and  if  the 
security  isn't  bad  now,  it  may  become  so  any 
day.  And  lest ' '  something  should  happen, ' '  lest 
these  '^ industrials"  should  ''topple  over,"  one 
upon  another,  in  a  common  ruin,  this  great 
statesman  says:  ''Don't  touch  the  tariff;  it's 
dangerous;  let  the  people  be  plundered  out  of 
a  few  hundred  millions  a  year  by  these  'in- 
dustrial' sharks;  it  is  necessary  to  keep  up  the 
profits  on  bonds  issued  in  lieu  of  inflated 
stocks;  "sh,  don't  go  to  tinkering  with  the 
tariff;  it  would  be  dangerous." 

One  can  almost  overlook  the  type  of  states- 
manship exhibited  by  the  Secretary  in  consid- 
eration of  the  light  shed  upon  the  situation  by 
his  statement." — Portland,  Ore.,  Evening  Tel- 
egram, Aug.  29,  1902.* 

Surely,  the  Secretary  of  the  Treasury  ought 
to  know  whereof  he  speaks ! 

*See  Note  (m)  Appendix. 


METAMORPHOSE 

Credit  is  also  produced  by  the  movement  of 
Surplus  products. 

The  word  "market"  is  a  word  that  has  no 
particular  home.  The  farmer  loads  his  wheat 
onto  the  wagon  and  drives  to  the  village  ' '  mar- 
ket. ' '  The  buyer  in  the  village  loads  the  wheat 
into  cars  and  ships  it  to  the  city  "market." 
In  the  city  it  is  again  placed  on  the  "market", 
this  time  perhaps  the  "market"  is  the  miller. 
The  miller  changes  its  form  and  again  places 
it  on  the  "market,"  which  is  possibly  a  city 
jobber.  The  jobber  places  it  on  the  "market" 
of  which  the  farmer  before  mentioned  is  a 
part ! 

Truly  "market"  has  no  permanent  abiding 
place. 

This  "market"  whose  location  is  everywhere 
and  nowhere  is  the  breeding  place  of  Credit. 
Profit  is  the  amatory  magnet. 

Thus  in  the  adjustment  of  individual  obli- 
gations man  becomes  involved  in  an  intricate 
maze  of  debts,  as  complex  as  the  myriad  rela- 
tions of  the  individual  members  of  the  body 
politic.  Each  Debit  has  its  corresponding 
Credit.  Thus  is  Credit  created.  Like  the  body 
politic,  these  debts  have  their  daily  births  and 
deaths  under  the  Law  of  Evolution. 

Credit  is  destroyed  or  dies  in  two  ways, 
namely: 

(a)  by  consumption. 

(b)  by  liquidation. 

132 


SUBSTANCE  AND  SHADOW 

The  Law  of  Change  is  the  Law  of  Dissolu- 
tion.    It  represents  the  tearing  down  process. 

To  illustrate  how  Credit  is  destroyed  by  con- 
sumption we  will  suppose  that  Smith  is  a  shoe 
merchant  and  you  a  customer.  Smith  has  a 
pair  of  shoes  for  sale  which,  at  the  selling  price 
of  $5.00  represent  $5.00  worth  of  Credit  to 
him.  You  have  $5.00  in  money  and  you  desire 
the  shoes.  Smith's  $5.00  Credit  represented  by 
the  shoes,  plus  your  $5.00  Credit,  makes  a  total 
Credit  of  $10.00.  You  exchange  your  Credit 
for  the  shoes,  and  Smith  then  becomes  pos- 
sessed of  your  Universal  Credit,  while  you 
have  the  shoes.  You  begin  wearing  them,  and 
from  the  first  day  an  imperceptible  change  is 
taking  place  in  those  shoes  until  finally  they 
are  worn  out.  Thus  by  consumption  you  have 
destroyed  your  $5.00  Credit. 

This  is  possibly  better  illustrated  when  an 
individual  buys  a  cigar  and  immediately  pro- 
ceeds to  burn  it  up.  The  change  is  quicker  and 
more  perceptible.  Even  quicker  than  the  cigar 
is  the  drink  of  whiskey  or  the  skyrocket.  It 
is  the  constant  destruction  of  the  individual's 
Credit  that  necessitates  the  continual  acquire- 
ment of  the  new  Credit.  This  keeps  labor  em- 
ployed in  factory  and  mine.  It  is  the  incentive 
which  builds  and  operates  our  railroads  and 
steamboats.  In  fact,  it  is  the  power  which 
turns  the  wheels  of  Commerce.    This  serves  as 

133 


METAMORPHOSE 

a  splendid  illustration  of  how  the  Law  of 
Change  brings  forth  Growth. 

The  Credit  created  by  the  movement  of  Cred- 
it itself  as  set  forth  in  the  illustration  of  the 
banking  system,  such  as  de])0sits,  notes,  etc., 
are  destroyed  by  liquidation.  Suppose,  for  in- 
stance, A  owes  B,  B  owes  C,  C  owes  D,  and  D 
owes  A  $100  each.  Each  of  these  four  indi- 
viduals has  $100  coming  to  him,  and  if  we  take 
the  transactions  separately  we  must  admit  that 
there  is  an  existing  individual  Credit  aggre- 
gating $400.  You  will  perceive,  however,  that 
if  all  of  these  Credits  were  put  through  the 
Clearing  House,  one  would  offset  the  other  in 
such  a  manner  that  the  entire  Credit  of  $400 
would  disappear.  If,  in  the  ordinary  course 
of  business  transactions,  A  should  pay  B  $100, 
and  B  should  use  that  same  $100  with  which 
to  cancel  his  obligation  to  C,  and  that  likewise 
C  should  pay  D,  and  D  pay  A,  the  matter 
would  also  end  with  the  cancellation  of  the 
entire  $400  Credit,  while  the  $100  with  which 
A  paid  B  would  return  to  its  starting  point. 
Thus  the  Credit  would  be  liquidated. 

Such  might  be  termed  fictitious  Credit  or  the 
watered  stock  of  the  Credit  manufacturing  in- 
dustry. There  are  millions  of  such  Credit  in 
existence. 

If  we  should  take  a  grand  inventory  of  ev- 
erything possessed  by  the  body  politic  at  the 
present  market  price,  and  then  sum  up  all  of 


SUBSTANCE  AND  SHADOW 

the  fixisting  Credit  of  the  body  politic,  and 
subtract  the  sum  total  of  the  inventory  from 
the  sum  total  of  the  Credit,  we  would  arrive  at 
the  amount  of  fictitious  Credit  we  have.  This 
fictitious  Credit  is  good  as  watered  stock  is 
good — just  so  long  as  it  pays  "dividends,"  for, 
as  has  been  remarked,  "profit"  is  the  founda- 
tion of  the  whole  commercial  structure,  ana 
*' dividends"  is  but  another  name  for  "profit." 

Trusting  that  the  question  of  Surplus  and 
its  relation  to  dollars  or  Credit  is  made  plain, 
your  attention  is  now  called  to  the  fact  that 
the  solution  of  the  Problem  of  Poverty  is  but 
the  solution  of  the  Problem  of  the  equitable 
distribution  of  Surplus.  The  solution  of  either 
one  of  these  problems  solves  the  other,  since 
all  there  is  for  men  to  divide  is  Surplus,  and 
the  dearth  of  Surplus  to  the  individual  is  Pov- 
erty. 

All  there  is  that  has  not  been  consumed  is 
Surplus.  Mankind  is  wonderfully  rich.  Every- 
where can  be  seen  stores  and  stores  of 
Surplus.  Thousands  of  miles  of  railroad  trains 
are  daily  transporting  hundreds  of  thousands 
of  tons  of  surplus  products.  Often  there  is  a 
congestion  in  shipping,  and  cars  cannot  be 
obtained  to  move  the  huge  supply.  In  fact, 
there  is  a  superabundance  of  the  necessities, 
comforts  and  luxuries  of  life  to  supply  each 
individual  member  of  the  race  to  satiety  if 
properly  distributed. 

135 


METAMORPHOSE 

How  can  tliis  distribution  be  accomplished 
is  the  question  of  supreme  importance  to  man 
since  the  answer  to  that  question  will  solve  all 
the  other  economic  problems  that  now  engross, 
and  for  many  centuries  have  engrossed,  the 
thought  of  the  world.  Scores  of  able  men  have 
devoted  their  lives  to  the  solution  of  subordi- 
nate problems  of  economics,  such  as  capital  and 
labor,  rent,  taxes,  etc.  They  have,  however, 
either  overlooked  the  basic  problem  or  else 
were  unable  to  arrive  at  the  higher  laws  which 
govern  all  manifestations  whatsoever,  and 
which  must,  therefore,  govern  in  this  matter, 
and  so  failed  to  arrive  at  the  proper  solution. 

The  solution  of  the  mighty  Problem  of  Pov- 
erty marks  one  of  the  cardinal  Epochs  in  the 
Evolution  of  the  Race!  It  may  even  be  the 
Fulcrum  of  Man's  Evolution,  so  great  is  its 
import ! 

It  is  necessary  that  the  Problem  be  solved 
before  Man  can  rise  above  the  material  phase 
of  life.  "Where  your  treasure  is,  there  will 
your  mind  be  also!"  A  few  individuals  have 
risen  in  spite  of  the  hampering  environment, 
but  they  are  popularly  considered  as  freaks 
of  nature.  The  masses  are  still  wallowing  in 
the  mire. 

If  the  solution  of  the  Problem  is  recognized 
as  important  by  the  human  mind,  then  you  may 
rest  assured  that  it  is  a  part  of  the  Operation 
and  it  will  therefore  arrive  in  its  proper  Order. 

136 


SUBSTANCE  AND  SHADOW 

Creation  did  not  cease  when  the  Earth  and 
Sun  and  Stars  were  made.  Creation  is  Dura- 
tion itself,  and  the  Sublime  Process  will  cease 
only  with  the  close  of  Eternity. 

The  solution  of  our  Problem  is  the  birth 
OF  Race  Regeneration  in  the  Creathhe  Pro- 
cess. 

Contemplate  that  well,  those  ^ho  can. 

The  Solution  is  at  hand! 

This  announcement  is  made  by  one  who 
knows,  and  therefore  speaks  with  au- 
thority; by  one  who  has  given  evidence 
that  he  is  thoroughly  conversant  with 
the  conditions  which  now  prevail  in  the 
economic  world;  by  one  who  points  out 
the  inherent  defects  of  the  present  meth- 
ods; by  one  who  attaches  no  importance  to 
artificial  "place,"  "standing,"  "position"  or 
"society,"  but  who  impartially  subjects  all 
"classes"  to  the  same  microscopic  scrutiny. 

Here  is  something  to  think  about: 

Surplus  comprises  the  Necessities,  Comforts 
and  Luxuries  of  life. 

Each  individual  requires  a  continuous  supply 
of  a  certain  amount  of  Surplus  for  his  suste- 
nance, welfare  and  development. 

Surplus  is  represented  by  and  obtained  with 
Dollars  or  Credit. 

It  is  therefore  necessary  that  each  individ- 
ual be  in  constant  receipt  of  Dollars  or  Credit 
with  which  to  cancel  his  obligations  to  others. 

137 


METAMORPHOSE 

Under  the  existing  methods,  however  defec- 
tive, nearly  every  individual  can  obtain  Dollars. 

Some  obtain  vastly  more  than  they  need,  oth- 
ers obtain  barely  enough  to  provide  for  the 
necessities  that  sustain  life. 

Individual  consumption  is  limited  by  Nature. 

The  solution  of  the  Problem  must  involve 
these  features: 

It  must  be  a  natural  process. 

It  must  not  antagonize,  therefore  it  must 
not  deprive  any  individual  of  what  he  needs 
or  desires. 

It  must  add  to,  rather  than  take  from. 

It  must  supply  a  source  of  continual  income 
of  Dollars  or  Credit  to  the  individual. 

It  must  not  attempt  to  regulate  what  any 
participant  desires  to  utilize  as  necessities, 
comforts  or  luxuries  of  life,  but  on  the  con- 
trary, it  must  supply  all  the  material  wants 
of  each  member  according  to  his  deserts. 

It  must  be  attractive  to  the  Natural  man,  and 
therefore  be  profitable  and  beneficial  to  each 
co-operator. 

It  must  be  open  to  all  who  wish  to  participate 
—man,  woman  or  child. 

It  must  be  absolutely  just  and  equitable. 

It  must  lift  men  up ! 

All  this  the  Solution  involves! 

That  which  destroys  the  equilibrium  between 

138 


SUBSTANCE  AND  SHADOW 

Surplus  and  Credit  is  set  fortli  in  the  following 
Chapter. 

"Buy  the  Truth,  and  sell  it  not;  also  Wisdom, 
and  instruction,  and  understanding.  For  the 
merchandise  of  it  is  better  than  the  merchan- 
dise of  silver,  and  the  gain  thereof  than  fine 
gold.  She  is  more  precious  than  rubies:  and  all 
the  things  thou  canst  desire  are  not  to  be  com- 
pared   unto    her. ' ' — Proverbs. 


CHAPTER  IX 
A  Confession  of  Impostuke 

"They  have  made  them  a  molten  calf,  and 
have  worshiped  it,  and  have  sacrificed  there- 
unto, and  said,  These  be   thy  Gods." — Exodus. 

The  difference  between  the  first  cost  of  the 
finished  product  of  labor  and  the  cost  to  the 
consumer  is  what  men  have  named  ''Profit." 
Individual  Profit  is  usually  secured  through 
the  advantageous  swapping  of  things  for  mon- 
ey or  credit,  which  swapping  is  dubbed  the  pro- 
cess of  "buying"  and  "selling."  This  pro- 
cess causes  the  circulation  of  money.  When 
swapping  is  brisk  "prosperity"  is  rampant; 
when  swapping  is  sluggish  "panic"  prevails. 

A  "panic"  is  always  the  result  of  man's  cu- 
pidity or  stupidity,  or  both.  The  established 
commercial  system  alone  makes  it  possible.  It 
is  more  fruit  of  tho  Tree. 

Any  man  or  combination  of  men  who  can 
control  a  large  supply  of  "dollars"  have  the 
power  to  bring  about  a  financial  panic  at  their 
will!    The  daily  supply  of  dollars  is  normally 

140 


CONFESSION  OF  IMPOSTURE 

regulated  by  natural   causes — Evolution  and 
its  golden  mean. 

Let  us  suppose  that  it  be  in  the  power  of  an 
individual,  or  a  syndicate  of  a  dozen  individ- 
uals, to  withdraw  $400,000,000    from    general 
use.    The  withdrawal  of  this  number  of  actual 
dollars  from  the  ''market"  would  immediately 
affect  the  process  of  liquidation.    There  would 
be  a  scarcity  of  dollars  where  before  they  were 
normally  plentiful.    Millions  of  dollars  of  notes 
and  accounts  are  coming  due  daily.    The  ma- 
jority of  these  call  for  cash,  and  in  order  to 
secure  their  payment  property  has  been  hy- 
pothecated.    An  eager  search  for  dollars  en- 
sues.   They  are  not  easily  found.    There  arises 
a  fear  of  possible  loss.    Bankers  begin  "calling 
in'*  their  loans.     This  spreads  and  increases 
the    anxiety.     Business  men  become  affected. 
Anxious  to  secure  the  cash  necessary  to  meet 
their  obligations,  they  inaugurate  "sales"  to 
tease   dollars   from   the   people.    This  accom- 
plishes the  purpose.    The  store  of  the  people 
is  thus  depleted.    It  is  not  replenished.    They 
feel  the  deficiency.   Buying  falls  off.   Factories 
close  down.    Wages  decrease  or  cease  entirely. 
This  intensifies  the  situation.    Those  who  have 
a  little  cash  hold  it  fast.    Mortgages  are  fore- 
closed.    Banks  refuse  loans  and  cling  franti- 
cally to   every  dollar  they  can  secure.     The 
stringency  increases.     Those  holding  surplus 
products  will  exchange  them  only  for  money 

141 


METAMORPHOSE 

The  process  of  Credit  creation  ceases.  Prices 
are  forced  down,  down,  down.  "Property" 
which  would  have  "sold"  for  $10,000  three 
months  ago  will  not  now  bring  $3,000  cash.  The 
"panic"  is  on.  The  disease  of  the  body  politic 
has  reached  the  critical  point.  Business  is  par- 
alj^zed.  Surrounded  by  plenty  on  every  hand 
millions  are  starving  because  they  can  secure 
no  "dollars"  to  exchange  for  the  necessities 
of  life.* 

It  is  now  time  for  those  who  inaugurated  the 
panic  to  bring  the  $400,000,000  of  cash  from  its 
retirement  a  little  at  a  time,  and  gradually  ex- 
change it  for  the  property  so  greatly  depleted 
in  "price."  Thus  they  can  secure  two  or  three 
times  the  amount  of  surplus  with  their  money 
that  they  could  "buy"  under  natural  condi- 
tions. "Prosperity"  is  being  restored!  Prices 
gradually  increase  and  at  last  become  normal. 
Thus  $400,000,000  to  $800,000,000  can  be 
"made"  in  the  process. 

"Panics"  have  occurred  with  such  regularity 
that  the  majority  of  poor,  deluded  humanity 
expect  them  about  every  ten  years!  What  a 
display  of  blind  stupidity  and  consummate  ig- 
norance on  the  part  of  "intelligence" — intel- 
ligence that  accepts  Effects  as  the  end  of 
knowledge. 

Is  such  a  condition  possible  in  this  "enlight- 
ened" age? 

*Do  you  remember  Coxey's  army  and  contemporaneous  conditions? 
142 


CONFESSION  OF  IMPOSTURE 

Most  certainly  it  is !  Who  is  to  blame  ?  No 
one  individual,  but  all  of  us  together.  It  is 
the  fruit  of  the  Tree.  If  we  don't  like  the  fruit 
then  we  should  band  together  and  grub  out 
the  Tree,  root  and  branch. 

Our  stock  exchanges  are  schools  of  manipula- 
tion similar  to  that  outlined  above.  It  is  one  of 
the  most  malevolent  and  atrocious  institutions 
ever  invented  by  Greed.  The  time  will  come 
when  Intelligence  will  level  the  walls  of  every 
stock  exchange  in  the  country.  At  present  they 
furnish  one  of  the  best  examples  of  how  Profit 
is  obtained  by  deception,  trickery  and  pillage. 
Yet  its  votaries,  satellites  and  puppets,  together 
with  its  accessories  and  accomplices,  are  con- 
sidered eminently  "respectable"  in  the  light 
of  the  present  day.  Newspapers  as  a  rule,  de- 
vote at  least  a  page  daily  in  support  of  these 
iniquitous  dens  of  spoliation  and  plunder. 

To  return  to  "Profit."  Because  a  hammer 
is  used  as  an  instrument  of  murder  its  utility 
as  a  beneficent  tool  should  not  be  condemned. 
Charity  is  one  of  the  most  benign  attributes 
of  humanity.  It  signifies  liberality  in  giving — 
benevolence,  kindness,  good-will. 

As  Motion  is  the  symbolic  expression  of  En- 
ergy, so  is  Charity  the  symbolic  expression  of 
Love. 

Even  though  man  has  abused  the  sweet  spirit 
of  Charity,  he  has  never  been  so  ungracious 
as  to  directly  connect  her  name  with  Competi- 

143 


METAMORPHOSE 

tion.  Since  it  is  a  fact  that  neither  the  com- 
petitive system  of  Commercialism  nor  any 
other  system  can  exist  without  that  ivhich  holds 
it  together,  it  is  absolutely  necessary  that  Love 
be  present.  It  was  thus  that  Charity  came  to 
be  disguised  as  "Profit,"  and  it  is  thus  that 
"Profit"  is  the  only  redeeming  feature  of  the 
present  competitive  system.  This  is  the  Thing 
that  men  admire  in  the  system,  and  this,  and 
this  alone,  holds  it  together  and  gives  it  what- 
ever symmetrj'-  it  has. 

The  present  competitive  system  is  the  result 
of  Evolution.  Practically  everry  one  of  its 
great  divisions  are  modern  developments. 
Banking  is  of  comparatively  recent  origin;  so 
are  Stock  Exchanges;  also  Transportation  as 
we  know  it ;  Machinery  has  entirely  changed  the 
complexion  of  Labor;  Printing  is  in  its  youth; 
Eeal  Estate,  as  manipulated  is  an  innovation; 
Life  Insurance,  as  conducted,  is  distinctly  mod- 
ern. These  may  justly  be  called  the  seven  won- 
ders of  Modern  Commercialism,  and  a  most 
instructive  and  interesting  volume  could  be 
written  on  each. 

Banking  owes  its  existence  to  Credit  accum- 
ulation. 

The  principle  of  Stock  Exchanges  has  al- 
ready been  disclosed. 

Modern  Transportation  is  a  part  of  the  pro- 
cess of  Distribution,  and,  of  course,  rests  pri- 
marily on  Production. 

144 


CONFESSION  OF  IMPOSTURE 

Labor  has  practically  resolved  itself  into  a 
machine-made  process  of  Production.* 

Printing  is  the  modern  process  by  which 
thoughts  or  ideas  are  rapidly  recorded,  and  the 
record  even  more  rapidly  duplicated. 

The  modern  Newspaper — a  department  of 
Printing— furnishes  one  of  the  best  possible 
examples  of  Evolution  and  Imposture,  hence 
we  will  briefly  examine  it. 

Before  the  advent  of  the  first  newspaper 
each  community,  in  accordance  with  its  size, 
was  infected,  burdened  or  blessed,  as  the  in- 
dividual prefers,  with  one  or  more  persons, 
commonly  known  as  "gossips."  Eeport  has  it 
that  they  were  usually  elderly  females  who 
considered  it  their  bounden  duty  to  carry 
"news"  from  door  to  door.  There  was  a  con- 
tinual contest  between  tongue  and  feet  as  to 
which  could  move  the  faster.  They  were  not 
supposed  to  give  an  intelligent  reason  for  any- 
thing, contenting  themselves  with  the  mere 
statement  of  some  portentious  happening  or 
spicy  bit  of  scandal  which  had  come  to  their 
ears.  They  invariably  enlivened  the  happening 
with  their  own  vivid  imagination.  Figurative- 
ly, they  took  the  raw  material  and  prepared  it 
to  suit  the  cultivated  "taste"  of  those  who  par- 
took thereof.  The  best  seasoner  was  the  most 
popular  caterer,  but  each  member  of  the  com- 
munity kept  a  plentiful  supply  of  condiments  on 

*     See  Note   (n)   Appedndix. 

145 


METAMORPHOSE 

hand,  ranging  from  cayenne  to  garlic,  to  sup- 
ply any  oversight  in  the  seasoning.  This  com- 
prised the  principle  mental  exercise  of  the  day. 

At  last  the  culmination  of  physical  endurance 
and  capacity  was  reached. 

Here  the  inventive  genius  of  man  took  its 
first  important  step  in  the  production  of  labor 
saving  machinery.  He  conceived  the  brilliant 
idea  of  recording  and  merchandising  current 
gossip  by  means  of  movable  type,  printing 
press,  ink  and  paper.  He  reduced  gossiping 
to  a  money-making  proposition!  In  spite  of 
the  fact  that  wonderful  improvements  have 
been  made  in  the  mechanical  and  spicing  de- 
partments, the  masculine  part  of  the  race  has 
made  no  glaring  improvement  in  the  quality  of 
its  raw  material.  It  still  delights  in  the  de- 
licious bits  of  scandal,  revels  in  whatever  is 
immoral,  and  fairly  glories  in  the  sensationally 
vicious  happenings  of  the  day,  all  of  which  is 
dished  up  in  the  most  appetizing  manner  to  re- 
gale the  acquired  appetite  of  a  habit  enslaved 
populace,  which  habit  has  naturally  developed 
with  the  ''business"  under  the  Law  of  Growth 
and  Change. 

A  few  years  ago  advertising  made  its  appear- 
ance. The  father  of  Advertising  is  Competi- 
tion; its  mother  is  Profit.  From  a  sickly  and 
puny  infancy  it  has  grown  to  be  a  giant  factor 
of  Modern  Commercialism.  It  partakes  of  the 
characteristics  of  both  its  parents,  which  gives 

J.46 


CONFESSION  OF  IMPOSTURE 

it  an  individuality  all  its  own.  It  is  the  Mask 
of  Beggary.  Behind  it  people  solicit  alms  in 
the  shape  of  '^profit,"  crying,  like  the  little 
boy,  "buy  something  of  me  so  that  I  can  make 
something  by  the  transaction."  Each  adver- 
tiser strives  to  shout  louder  than  his  competi- 
tor. Deception  and  Advertising  are  boon  com- 
panions, and  both  are  pals  of  Gossip. 

The  voice  of  Advertising  is  known  as  Circu- 
lation. The  greater  the  circulation  the  louder 
Advertising  speaks.  With  exceeding  cunning 
men  have  yoked  Gossip  and  Advertising  in 
the  modern  newspaper. 

Gossip,  through  circulation,  lends  anxious 
Advertising  artful  aid.  Of  all  the  schemes  of 
*' money  making"  the  modern  newspaper  is  the 
most  unique!  A  diverting  chapter  could  be 
written  in  the  elucidation  of  the  business.  It, 
however,  is  but  fruit  of  the  Tree. 

God  speed  the  day  when  newspapers  will  tell, 
or  at  least  dilate  upon,  only  the  good  things  that 
occur,  and  record  only  good  deeds  for  the  con- 
templation and  reflection  of  the  rising  genera- 
tion. Let  Good  be  made  the  educational  stan- 
dard and  not  Evil.  If  Evil  must  be  mentioned 
let  it  be  for  the  purpose  of  teaching  a  moral 
lesson,  not  for  mere  sensationalism.  Whole- 
some mental  food  is  far  more  desirable  than 
mental  poison.  Cleanliness  is  next  to  Godli- 
ness! 

It  is  most  pleasing  to  note  that  the  tendency 

147 


METAMORPHOSE 

is  already  in  that  direction  as  evidenced  by 
the  uplifting,  exalting  and  inspiring  editorials 
and  articles  that  are  continually  appearing  in 
various  newsiDapers  and  magazines. 

The  circulation  of  matter  pertaining  to 
world  betterment  is  the  proper  application  of 
the  principle  of  Advertising.  It  tends  toward 
universal  good  rather  than  individual  advant- 
age; toward  altruism  rather  than  self. 

Modern  speculative  Eeal  Estate  business  is 
a  wily  game  of  diplomacy  wherein  astute  sim- 
plicity is  entrapped.  There  are  always  two 
sides  to  the  game:  The  side  that  has  the  Real 
Estate  and  the  side  that  has  the  dollars.  Each 
side  uses  every  trick  of  the  trade  to  deceive  his 
opponent.  It  is  useless  to  tell  of  the  alluring 
descriptions  that  are  given  the  prospective 
buyer,  or  the  fairy  tales  of  imaginative  future 
conditions.  Nearly  every  person  knows  of  the 
*'boom"  process. 

It  will  do  no  harm  to  follow  out  a  series  of 
typical  transactions  to  illustrate  the  ''busi- 
ness." 

A  professional  Real  Estate  dealer  secures  a 
parcel  of  land  which  he  "subdivides."  He  pays 
therefore  $15,000,  which  gives  the  party  who 
sells  to  him  a  Profit  of  several  thousand  dol- 
lars. A  small  amount  is  paid  when  the  deal  is 
closed,  and  the  balance  as  the  lots  are  sold.  The 
tract  is  divided  into  say  three  hundred  lots 
which  are  placed  on  the  ''market"  at  an  aver- 

148 


CONFESSION  OF  IMPOSTURE 

age  sacrifice  price  of  $250  each.  The  subdivi- 
sion of  the  land  has  therefore  increased  its 
price  from  $15,000  to  $75,000.  The  clever  Real 
Estate  man  spends  possibly  $5,000  in  "adver- 
tising" the  great  sacrifice  sale,  and  $5,000  more 
in  "improvements."  It  is  needless  to  dwell 
upon  all  the  details  of  the  sale,  but  we  will 
suppose  that  A,  on  being  assured  by  the  dealer 
that  he  will  be  able  to  sell  lot  No.  1  in  the- 
course  of  the  next  few  months  for  two  or  three 
times  its  present  price,  concludes  to  speculate, 
and  so  transfers  $250  of  his  Universal  Credit 
to  the  dealer  and  receives  therefor  a  piece  of 
paper  which  informs  all  comers  that  he.  A, 
has  acquired  a  life  lease  of  that  particular 
lot.  A  "deed"  is  merely  a  non-restrictive  life 
lease,  "to  have  and  to  hold"  during  life.  A 
soon  begins  a  still  hunt  for  a  "buyer,"  to  whom 
he  is  willing  to  "sacrifice"  a  portion  of  the 
future  profit  that  the  dealer  told  him  he  would 
make.  He  finally  runs  across  B,  who  has  some 
surplus  * '  dollars ' '  and  is  in  a  speculative  mood. 
A,  amongst  other  things,  informs  B  of  his  im- 
perative need  of  money;  of  his  exceeding  re- 
hictance  to  part  with  his  beloved  lot;  of  how 
much  he  could  "make"  if  he  were  only  able  to 
hold  it  a  short  time;  of  the  great  sacrifice  he 
makes  in  offering  a  $1,000  lot  for  $600,  etc. 
After  much  bickering  the  deal  is  finally  con- 
summated by  B  paying  A  $450  for  the  lot.  B 
immediately  begins  to  beat  the  brush  for  a  vic- 

149 


METAMORPHOSE 

tim  to  his  bartering  prowess.  At  last  he  scares 
up  C,  who  is  winged  with  a  hot-air  gun  and 
duly  captured.  C  pays  B  $700  for  the  lot.  C 
is  now  confronted  with  the  proposition  of 
swapping  his  piece  of  paper  at  a  profit.  In  due 
time  D  is  made  to  believe  that  he  is  getting  the 
•  best  of  C  by  purchasing  the  lot  for  $1,000.  The 
game  is  now  fairly  started.  The  ''value"  of 
the  lots  is  seemingly  enhanced  by  various  fav- 
orable rumors  and  reports.  The  productive 
capacity  of  each  lot  remains  stationary,  but 
** prices"  are  boomed  and  the  speculative  fever 
is  fed  by  tales  of  profit  made.  The  lot  is  sold 
and  resold,  a  la  Frenzied  Finance.  The  price, 
when  compared  with  other  beneficial  commodi- 
ties, is  ridiculously  exorbitant.  At  last  there 
comes  a  time  when  the  "market"  is  "dull"; 
the  late  purchaser  is  unable  to  locate  an  indi- 
vidual who  is  willing  to  contribute  more  to  him 
than  he  gave  the  other  fellow.  His  money  is 
buried  in  the  lot  and  there  is  no  way  to  get  it 
out.  He  mortgages  it  for  a  portion  of  his  pur- 
chase price.  The  Eeal  Estate  "market" 
"slumps."  In  fact,  it  makes  its  complete  dis- 
appearance. The  mortgage  is  foreclosed.  Then 
follow  years  of  stagnation  in  that  community. 
The  thing  which  is  normal  and  produces  nor- 
mal benefits  to  all  concerned  in  Real  Estate  or 
any  other  business,  is  natural  Growth,  and  that 
is  the  final  and  only  correct  adjuster.  This  is 
said  with  all  due  respect  to  a  Supreme  Court 

liiO 


CONFESSION  OF  IMPOSTURE 

which  has  *' decided"  that  the  result  of  Growth 
is  a  "lottery,"  and  therefore  all  persons  who 
receive  benefits  through  the  normal  growth  of 
any  business  may  be  punished  by  fine  and  im- 
prisonment according  to  the  ''law,"  which 
gives  the  Postmaster-General  the  power  to  is- 
sue ''fraud  orders."* 

Our  desire  is  to  make  a  distinction  between 
normal  Growth  and  booms  "for  revenue  only," 
and  these  remarks  in  no  way  pertain  to  those 
who  seek  a  temporary  deed  to  a  plot  of  ground 
for  the  purpose  of  intelligently  utilizing  it.  Nor 
does  this  infer  that  all  individuals  who  engage 
in  the  Real  Estate  business  are  disreputable  or 
dishonest.  We  do  insist,  however,  that  the  em- 
ployment of  deception  is  the  rule  and  not  the 
exception,  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  "investing" 
in  Real  Estate  is  generally  regarded  as  credit- 
able. Many  individuals  enter  into  the  Real 
Estate  business  as  they  enter  into  the  saloon 
business — because  they  cannot  make  a  living  in 
any  other  manner. 

We  now  come  to  a  business  of  importance. 
Not  important  because  of  its  prominence  in 
the  commercial  world.  Not  important  because 
the  manner  in  which  it  is  being  conducted  at 
present  is  a  subject  of  investigation  on  the 
part  of  those  who  probably  have  never  given  a 
moment's  thought  regarding  the  Principle  in- 
volved.   But  important  to  mankind  because  of 

*gee  Note    (o)   Appendix. 


151 


METAMORPHOSE 

the  vast  significance  of  this  same  Principle  in 
the  solution  of  the  problem  of  Poverty.  The 
name  of  this  business  is  Life  Insurance. 

Modern  Life  Insurance  is  a  hybrid — a  cross 
between  Competition  and  Co-operation.  The 
Principle  involved  is  that  of  Co-operation, 
while  the  Principle  is  applied  by  Competition ! 
Like  all  half-breeds,  its  lower  nature  is  most 
in  evidence. 

It  is  not  difficult  to  perceive  wherein  the 
noble  Principle  of  Mutual  Benefit  is  applied 
through  Competition.  Note  the  scores  of  dif- 
ferent ''companies,"  both  Old  Line  and  Fra- 
ternal, that  are  in  existence,  then  realize  that 
they  often  resort  to  the  most  degrading  decep- 
tion and  trickery  for  the  purpose  of  "writing 
new  business,"*  while  the  members,  themselves, 
as  a  rule,  are  actuated  by  purely  selfish  motives 
in  taking  out  their  policies.  We  repeat:  The 
individual  member  joins  the  scheme  for  the 
purpose  of  benefiting  liis  beneficiary  rather 
than  for  the  purpose  of  conferring  benefits 
upon  the  beneficiaries  of  his  fellow  members! 

The  atmosphere  is  so  rife  and  the  mind 
of  the  average  person  today  is  so  impregnated 
with  the  spirit  of  Competition  that  he  will  fail 
to  perceive  wherein  the  last  statement  above 
reflects  any  discredit  on  the  present  institu- 
tion of  Life  Insurance,  or  on  the  modern  ap- 

*See  Note   (p)   Appendix. 

152 


CONFESSION  OF  IMPOSTURE 

plication  of  its  Principle.  An  analyzation  is 
therefore  desirable. 

The  purest  form  of  Life  Insurance  is  that 
wherein  many  people  band  together  and  each 
agrees,  in  the  event  of  the  death  of  one  of  their 
number,  to  contribute  a  given  amount  from 
their  surplus  to  the  beneficiary  of  the  de- 
ceased. This  is  a  simple  illustration  of  the 
Principle  involved.  You  will  notice  that  here 
each  individual  member  contributes  to  the  ben- 
eficiary of  someone  else,  because  the  dead  mem- 
ber does  not  and  cannot  contribute  toward  the 
benefit  of  his  own  beneficiary.  While  he  was 
alive  he  contributed  to  the  benefit  of  others. 
Bear  this  in  mind  in  considering  what  follows. 

In  modern  Fraternal  Insurance  the  members 
band  together  and  each  agrees  to  contribute 
a  small  amount  each  month  to  assist  in  cre- 
ating a  general  fund  with  which  to  pay  the 
beneficiaries  of  the  members  who  die  from 
month  to  month,  and  also  to  defray  the  organ- 
ization expenses.  The  slight  difference,  be- 
tween this  plan  and  the  one  outlined  above  can 
easily  be  seen,  since  the  only  added  features 
are  an  expense  element  and  fixed  intervals  for 
making  contributions.  Under  this  latter  plan 
you  will  also  note  that  the  member  does  not 
contribute  after  death,  and  can  therefore  con- 
fer no  benefits  on  his  oicn  beneficiary.  When 
he  was  alive  his  contributions,  of  necessity, 
y^eve  for  the  benefit  of  others,  and  it  is  the 

153 


METAMORPHOSE 

present  living  members  who  confer  benefits 
on  his  beneficiary.  While  living  he  con- 
ferred BENEFITS  ON  BENEFICIARIES  OF  MEMBERS 
WHO  HAD  PASSED  OUT  OF  THE  ORDER  AHEAD  OF 
HIM,  AND  WHO,  THEREFORE,  CAN  CONFER  NO  BEN- 
EFITS ON  HIS  BENEFICIARY.  NoW  THAT  HE  IS 
DEAD,  MEMBERS  ON  WHOSE  BENEFICIARIES  HE 
NEVER  HAS  AND  NEVER  CAN  CONFER  BENEFITS,  BE- 
STOW BENEFITS  ON  HIS  BENEFICIARY.  If  the  in- 
dividual can  ''protect"  his  own  beneficiary, 
why  does  he  join  an  organization? 

What  should  the  member  do?  He  should 
recognize  the  Principle  involved,  and  he  should 
join  the  organization  for  the  sole  purpose  of 
doing  what  he  can  to  bestow  benefits  on  his 
brother's  beneficiary,  and  allow  his  fellow 
members  to  look  after  the  interests  of  his  ben- 
eficiary. He  should  join  because  the  Principle 
is  that  of  charitable  good-will.  He  should  join 
because  the  blessed  privilege  of  giving  a  small 
portion  of  his  surplus  to  deserving  ones  is  in- 
volved. He  should  join  for  the  purpose  of 
perpetuating  such  a  beneficent  institution  on 
the  face  of  the  earth.  He  should  join  because 
it  is  Good,  and  not  because  he  or  his  beneficiary 
will  derive  any  particular  benefit  from  it. 

Yet  you  will  hear  managers  and  solicitors 
of  a  Life  Insurance  Company  hold  out  the  one 
inducement  for  joining— the  purely  selfish 
purpose  of  ''protecting"  your  own  beneficiary. 
Few    of   them    have    ever    caught    a    fleeting 

154 


CONFESSION  OF  IMPOSTURE 

glimpse  of  the  beautiful  snow-white  Spirit  on 
which  their  '' business"  is  based,  while  the 
great  majority  of  them  do  not  even  dream  of 
its  existence.  They  are  constantly  talking 
about  ''protection,"  and  they  even  make  this 
same  ''protection"  a  thing  of  barter  and  trade. 
They  "sell"  you  "protection."  Their  sophis- 
try is  as  painful  as  it  is  ludicrous.  It  serves 
to  show  us  the  half-breed  characteristics,  how- 
ever, wherein  Selfishness  is  opposing  the  Spirit 
of  Universal  Love,  and  this,  and  this  alone, 
has  caused  all  of  the  discord  and  failure  that 
has  ever  occurred  in  Life  Insurance. 

Notwithstanding  its  present  degradation, 
which  dwarfs  its  Soul  and  retards  the  proper 
manifestation  of  its  Spirit,  Life  Insurance  oc- 
cupies a  momentous  position  in  the  Evolution 
of  man.  Its  installation  was  a  most  important 
step  toward  the  final  establishment  of  genuine 
co-operation  and  the  consequent  abolition  of 
Poverty.  Up  to  the  present  time  it  has  con- 
ferred no  great  benefits  on  the  race  further 
than  to  demonstrate  the  power  of  people  band- 
ed together  for  the  accomplishment  of  a  defi- 
nite purpose.  This  is  demonstrated  in  a  small 
way  by  any  large  Life  Insurance  Company,  but 
the  example  would  be  still  more  striking  if  all 
the  various  Companies  were  united  as  one.  All 
other  business  institutions  in  the  world  would 
be  insignificant  in  comparison.  If  the  institu- 
tion were  one  gigantic  Fraternity,  then  the  peo- 

155 


METAMORPHOSE 

pie  would  be  able  to,  in  a  small  measure,  ap- 
preciate their  power.  Some  of  those  living 
on  earth  today  may  witness  a  grand  organiza- 
tion numbering  millions,  whose  economic  sys- 
tem is  as  far  superior  to  mere  Life  Insurance 
as  the  electric  light  is  superior  to  the  tallow 
candle. 

Such  a  System  has  been  devised — scientific 
in  every  detail;  as  feasible  as  mathematics; 
as  practical  as  living;  as  sure  as  evolution; 
as  free  as  the  air. 

The  idea  but  awaits  its  material  manifesta- 
tion! 

Amongst  the  other  lessons  taught  by  Life 
Insurance  is  the  one  of  cumulation  of  small  par- 
ticles of  surplus  Credit  into  parts  or  parcels 
for  more  advantageous  utility  or  distribution. 

The  process  of  gathering  together  and  ap- 
portioning various  products  for  general  utility 
is  very  common.  In  gold  mining,  for  instance, 
after  the  ore  is  obtained  it  is  crushed,  and  the 
fine  particles  of  gold  concentrated,  after  which 
they  are  melted  into  a  brick  for  convenience 
of  transportation.  It  is  then  sent  to  the  mint 
and  blocked  out  in  little  portions  for  general 
utility.  Hay  is  composed  of  a  multitude  of 
stalks  which  are  mowed,  gathered  together  and 
finally  baled  for  convenience  of  transportation 
and  utility.  Thus  also  are  fruit  and  vegetables 
handled. 

If  the  surplus  products  themselves  are  treat- 
ise 


CONFESSION  OF  IMPOSTURE 

ed  in  this  manner,  why  not  intelligently  apply 
the  same  Principle  to  that  which  represents 
Surplus — ''dollars"  or  Credit?  Men  usually 
admit  that  it  is  foolish  not  to  ''harvest"  a 
crop  when  the  grain  is  ripe  or  the  fruit  ma- 
tured; and  the  "harvesting"  is  the  operation 
of  the  cumulating  and  portioning  process.  It 
is  just  as  foolish  to  allow  Credit  to  rot  in  the 
pocket  as  it  is  to  allow  apples  to  rot  on  the 
trees. 

In  Fraternal  Insurance  the  monthly  contri- 
butions of  an  individual  member  may  be  lik- 
ened to  a  single  apple  on  a  tree.  The  apple 
is  surplus  until  it  is  consumed.  Alone  it 
amounts  to  but  little,  and  its  effect  will  scarcely 
be  noticed  by  the  individual  consuming  it.  A 
bushel  of  apples,  or  a  barrel  of  apples  will 
confer  very  material  benefits  on  a  family. 

Then  again,  the  farmer  does  not  feel  any 
loss  when  he  gives  a  single  apple,  or  twelve 
apples  out  of  his  year's  harvest,  to  be  put  into 
a  basket  with  similar  contributions  from  other 
farmers  for  the  purpose  of  conferring  bene- 
fits on  a  family.  Neither  does  the  average 
member  of  a  Fraternal  Life  Insurance  Com- 
pany miss  the  twelve  small  donations  a  year 
that  he  makes  for  the  benefit  of  others.  We 
warrant  he  will  live  just  as  long  and  just  as 
happily  as  he  would  if  he  made  no  contribu- 
tions whatever.    We  will  also  add  that  he  will 

157 


METAMORPHOSE 

live  far  more  happily  if  he  makes  his  contri- 
butions in  the  proper  spirit. 

Imx)osture,  draped  with  the  vestment  of  Cus- 
tom, has  at  last  been  stripped  of  his  robes 
and  exposed.  Like  other  "gentlemen"  crimi- 
nals, he  has  confessed.  He  admits  that  he  has 
been  masquerading  as  respectable  Custom  for 
generations,  beguiling  men  with  his  sophistries 
of  "legitimate  profit"  and  "value  received" 
and  "earning  capacity"  and  "earning  power 
of  money"  and  "investments,"  etc.,  in  connec- 
tion with  "legitimate  business."  Hid  beneath 
Imposture's  robes  were  found  Grab  and  Graft 
and  whimpering  or  deceitful  Beggary!  Can 
you  see  them? 

"For  what  shall  it  profit  a  man,  if  he  shall 
gain  the  whole  world  and  lose  his  own  soul?" 
— Mark. 


CHAPTER  X 

Illusions 


"Appearance  is    the    highest    lie    and    false- 
hood. ' ' — Hermes. 


"Therefore  doth  it  labor  to  make  good  those 
things  that  seem,  and  are  by  the  Senses  judged 
and  determined;  and  the  things  that  are  truly, 
it  hides,  and  envelopes  in  much  matter,  filling 
what  it  presents  unto  thee  with  hateful  pleas- 
ure, that  thou  canst  neither  hear  what  thou 
shouldst  hear,  nor  see  what  thou  shouldst  see." 

Thus  spoke  mighty  Hermes  whom  Lord  Ba- 
con described  as  ''illustrious  with  triple  glory 
— Kingly  Power,  Priestly  Illumination  and 
Profound  Wisdom." 

Man  is  ever  deceived  by  Appearances,  and 
the  consciousness  of  this  Truth  is  one  of  the 
loftiest  summits  that  the  individual  mind  must 
surmount  on  its  road  to  the  house  of  Wisdom. 

By  means  of  the  physical  senses  man  be- 
comes conscious  of  the  different  vibrations  of 
substance.  This  thing  is  hard,  that  soft;  this 
red,  that  green;  this  sweet,  that  bitter;  this 

159 


METAMORPHOSE 

warm,  that  cold;  this  fragrant,  that  noisome. 
Whatever  one  can  hear,  see,  feel,  smell  or  taste 
is  an  appearance,  or  an  effect,  and  is  but  the 
reflection  of  that  which  caused  it.  The  Law  of 
Reflection  never  changes,  so  with  the  assist- 
ance of  a  mirror  we  can  arrive  at  this  stu- 
pendous fact: 

Appearance  is  the  polae  opposite  of  Truth. 

Man  is  thus  surrounded  with  mighty  Illu- 
sions, compared  with  which  the  most  successful 
illusions  of  the   stage  are  microscopic.     And 
when  we  add  to  the  Illusions  the  mystic  Maze 
of  Life,  or  existence,  we  can  begin  to  appreci- 
ate in  a  slight  degree  wherein  Man's  evolution 
is  but  a  part  of  the  Divine  Operation.    "We  can 
vaguely    appreciate    wherein    we    constantly 
meet  friendly  opposition  to  enhance  the  devel- 
opment and  growth  of  our  consciousness.    The 
grand  Cavalcade  of  human  life  is  ever  con- 
fronted by  an  unbroken     array    of  obstacles 
which  bar  its  advance.  The  destination  of  each 
individual  and  of  the  Eace  lies  on  the  other 
side  of  obstacles.    Wise  is  he  who  can  perceive 
the  Purpose  of  obstructions  and  profit  through 
the  progress  and  strength  gained  by  conquering 
them. 

Man  is  confronted  daily  with  the  Illusion  of 
the  Sun  rising  in  the  East,  traversing  his  ma- 
jestic course,  and  setting  in  the  West,  and  for 
thousands  of  vears  man  was  deceived  by  this 

160 


ILLUSIONS 

appearance,  and  strenuously  resisted  the  slight- 
est suggestion  that  it  is  merely  an  Illusion. 
Finally  a  man,  one  of  those  pioneers  who  go 
ahead  and  blaze  the  trails  of  thought,  announced 
the  fact  that  the  Earth  turns  on  its  axis  and 
causes  the  Illusion  of  the  Sun's  motion.  His 
statement,  accompanied  as  it  was  by  logical 
reason,  was  received  with  the  utmost  consterna- 
tion and  dismay,  since  it  upset  not  only  the 
pet  theories,  but  also  the  very  religion  of  the 
day.  Galileo  was  cast  into  prison  for  glori- 
ously maintaining  what  he  knew  to  be  *^he 
Truth.  The  names  of  those  who  persecuted 
him  are  not  now  spoken,  while  he  stands  forth 
as  one  of  the  pillars  of  light  which  mark  the 
course  of  human  progress. 

Nearly  everyone  now  will  admit  that  the  ap- 
parent course  of  the  Sun  around  the  Earth  is 
a  mighty  Illusion,  but  very  few  will  admit  that 
what  men  call  ''Time" — past  and  future — is 
another  gigantic  Illusion.  Time  is  the  appear- 
ance of  applied  Energy,  as  the  reflection  in 
the  mirror  is  the  appearance  of  the  object.  As 
the  Earth  is  small  in  comparison  with  the  Cos- 
mos, so  is  the  entire  period  of  the  Earth's  ex- 
istence small  in  comparison  with  Eternity. 
Time  is  the  point  of  contact  of  the  Positive  and 
Negative  elements  of  Duration.  It  is  the  ever 
present  Now.  Evolution  is  a  constant  suc- 
cession of  Events  which  we  mark  by  what  we 
call  Time.    The  Event  is  the  real  thing  of  im- 

161 


METAMORPHOSE 

portance,  and  "time"  is  but  an  appearance. 
Last  night  you  saw  a  light  burning.  The  light 
has  gone  out.  Likewise  has  "last  night"  gone 
out.  Where  is  the  flame!  Where  is  the 
"time?"  Tomorrow  never  comes.  "Yester- 
day "  is  as  an  extinguished  flame.  ' '  Yesterday ' ' 
was  merely  a  succession  of  events  which  were, 
but  are  not. 

Eealizing  the  supreme  importance  of  Now, 
Christ  said:  "Take,  therefore,  no  thought  for 
the  morrow ;  for  the  morrow  shall  take  thought 
for  the  things  of  itself.  Sufficient  unto  the  day 
is  the  evil  thereof." 

Poor,  deluded  humanity  wastes  entirely  too 
much  of  its  thought  on  "yesterdays"  and  "to- 
morrows," and  fails  to  properly  apply  its 
thought  and  Energj^  to  the  ever  present  mo- 
ment! 

The  present  Competitive  system  is  a  custom 
established  by  Delusion.  Delusion  is  a  master 
of  blandishment  and  cajolery.  With  adroit 
plausibility  he  leads  the  individual  to  believe 
in  the  supreme  importance  of  Self,  and  skill- 
fully detracts  his  attention  from  the  Universal. 
When  the  individual  is  thus  won  over,  he  be- 
comes a  pandering  servant  of  Delusion  and 
will  commit  the  greatest  follies  in  his  service. 

We  have  learned  that  the  beneficial  utility 
of  anything  constitutes  its  only  value.  We 
have  also  learned  that  money  is  the  life-blood 
of  the  commercial  world  and  is  beneficial  only 

162 


ILLUSIONS 

when  it  properly  circulates  or  moves.  Con- 
gestion of  circulation  is  a  sure  indication  of 
error  committed.  This  must  be  patent  to  any 
reasoning  mind,  and  from  this  we  will  proceed 
to  demonstrate  the  fallacy  of  ''reserve  funds," 
as  they  are  commonly  known  in  business.  It 
must  be  remembered,  however,  that  "reserve 
funds''  are  but  fruit  of  the  Tree. 

A  Reserve  Fund  in  business  is  an  accumu- 
lation of  Money  or  Credit  for  ostensible  use  at 
some  imaginary  future  "time"  when  that  par- 
ticular business  will  have  deteriorated  until  it 
requires  a  prop!  If  the  business  were  prop- 
erlj;  established  under  natural  conditions  of 
Growth  and  did  not  violate  Natural  Law,  then 
the  "reserve"  fund  would  continually  increase 
and  would  never  be  utilized  to  the  benefit  of 
those  who  created  it.  Study  the  Reserve  Fund 
ol  Old  Line  Life  Insurance  as  an  example  and 
Qote  that  it  never  decreases. 

A  Eeserve  Fund  in  a  business  is  popularly 
considered  an  element  of  strength,  while  the 
fact  is  that  it  is  an  admission  of  iveakness  per- 
se! A  Reserve  Fund  is  for  the  management 
rather  than  for  the  patron.  Were  you  ever 
benefited  by  the  "reserve  fund"  of  any  insti- 
tution you  patronized!  There  is  one  hundred 
per  cent  benefit  in  every  dollar  when  prop- 
erly utilized.  Can  money  be  reserved  and,  at 
the  same  time,  be  properly  utilized  for  the 
benefit  of  its  real  owner? 

163 


METAMORPHOSE 

Another  fallacious  thing  about  a  "reserve" 
fund  is  that  it  can  represent  but  a  minority 
fraction  of  the  liabilities  it  is  "reserved" 
against,  and  therefore  can  in  no  event  liqui- 
date more  than  a  minority  fraction  of  the  ob- 
ligations of  the  institution.  From  this  we  must 
conclude  that  the  "reserve  fund"  institution 
has  either  provided  other  ways  and  means 
with  which  to  pay  the  balance  of  its  obliga- 
tions, or  else  that  it  intends  to  ignore  a  large 
part  of  them.  In  the  former  instance,  if  other 
ways  and  means  can  be  provided  to  pay  a  large 
per  cent,  of  the  liabilities,  then  the  same  ways 
and  means  augmented  would  produce  sufficient 
to  meet  all  the  requirements,  and  thus  preclude 
the  necessity  of  a  "reserve"  fund.* 

In  such  a  case  a  "reserve  fund"  is  an  un- 
warranted tax  upon  those  who  provide  it.  In 
the  second  instance,  if  the  institution  does  not 
contemplate  paying  a  large  fraction  of  its  ob- 
ligations, then  it  were  better  to  have  neither 
obligations  nor  "reserve  fund."  Thus  a  "re- 
serve fund"  is  a  delusion  and  a  snare. 

There  is  a  graver  parental  Error  lying  back 
of  Reserve  Funds. 

Under  the  Competitive  system  all  commer- 
cial contracts  calling  for  Money  have  "Time" 
as  the  primary  maturing  element,  while  Mon- 
ey is  a  secondary  consideration.  That,  you  may 
say,  is  as  it  should  be.    Let  us  analyze  it. 

*See  Note   (q)  Appendix. 

164 


1LLV8I0N8 

No  commercial  contract  calling  for  money 
can  be  cancelled  with  "time,"  but  it  must,  of 
necessity,  be  cancelled  with  money.  Money, 
then,  is  the  primary  element  and  the  essential 
element  of  the  cancellation.  The  real  maturity 
of  the  contract  is  fixed  by  its  cancellation,  con- 
sequently money  is  the  real  maturing  element. 
Thus  we  see  that,  while  under  the  established 
custom,  "time"  is  made  the  primary  element 
and  money  a  secondary  consideration  of  a  con- 
tract, money,  in  reality,  is  the  primary  ele- 
ment and  "time"  a  secondary  consideration. 

Let  us  suppose  that  A  owes  B  the  sum  of 
$100  that  is  due  in  thirty  days.  This  means 
that  when  the  earth  has  made  thirty  more 
revolutions  on  its  axis  this  contract  will  be 
due  and  payable.  The  ' '  days ' '  are  marked  off 
in  their  regular  order.  "Time"  marches  re- 
lentlessly onward.  It  is  the  "thirty  days"  that 
calls  for  the  money  without  reference  as  to 
whether  A  has  the  amount  or  not.  The  only 
redeeming  feature  to  this  custom  is  that  it 
perhaps  stirs  indolent  man  to  action. 

Business  failures  are  always  caused  by 
**time"  marching  ahead  of  the  money  and  get- 
ting there  first!  The  fear  that  this  will  occur 
and  a  vain  attempt  to  remedy  the  evil  is  the 
cause  of  "reserve  funds." 

"Reserve  funds"  are  burnt  offerings  on  the 
altar  of  Error.     "Time"    never  yet  brought 

165 


METAMORPHOSE 

forth  an  event,  but  events  are  ever  fashioning 
"time!" 

When  man  sows  grain  or  j)lants  a  garden  he 
knows  that  under  normal  conditions  he  will 
reap  an  average  crop  in  approximately  a  given 
"time."  Why?  Because  he  is  familiar  with 
the  rapidity  of  its  growth.  He  does  not  say 
to  his  wheat,  "you  must  yield  just  so  much  in 
one  hundred  days  under  penalty  of  failure." 
He  simply  adjusts  himself  to  natural  condi- 
tions and  does  what  he  can  to  assist  in  the  pro- 
duction of  the  crop,  and  he  is  invariably  re- 
warded with  a  great  increase  over  what  he 
sowed.  In  the  sowing  of  the  wheat  he  put 
into  operation  the  Cause  which  produced  the 
Effect. 

In  business,  Natural  Law  is  disregarded  and 
Failure  is  the  reward.  About  ninety-five  per 
cent,  of  those  who  start  in  business  under  the 
Competitive  system  "fail"  sooner  or  later.  Is 
not  this  sufficient  to  assure  you  that  the  Com- 
petitive system  is  erroneous?  If  Nature  failed 
in  ninety-five  cases  out  of  one  hundred  there 
would  probably  be  no  human  race.  It  must 
be  evident  then  that  man's  present  business 
methods  are  unnatural.  Why  not  become  nat- 
urized  and  civilized  in  reality? 

Applied  Energy  is  the  '^Eeserve  Fund"  of 
OUR  Nation.  Applied  Energy  is  the  '^  Re- 
serve Fund"  of  the  Race.  Applied  Energy 
IS   THE    ' '  Reserve  Fund  ' '   of    Creation  !    Ap- 

1G6 


ILLUSIONS 

PLIED  Energy  is  the  mainspring  of  Perpetu- 
ity. 

The  new  Economic  System  will  displace  Com- 
petition; it  will  conform  to  Nature's  Laws  in 
respect  to  ** Reserve  Funds."  There  will  be 
sowing  and  reaping,  and  the  harvest  to  the 
individual  will,  under  normal  conditions,  be 
vastly  more  than  the  seed,  and  the  condition  of 
"time"  will  be  a  natural  condition.  The  event 
and  ''time"  will  go  hand  in  hand  and  "failure" 
will  be  eliminated.  To  paraphrase  the  famous 
saying  that  Lytton  put  into  the  speech  of  Rich- 
elieu: In  the  bright  lexicon  of  the  coming 
Economic  System  there  is  no  such  word  as  fail. 
It  is  a  weak  word  representing  an  artificial  con- 
dition. Man  makes  both  the  condition  and  the 
word! 

In  connection  with  ** Reserve  Funds"  we  find 
what  is  known  in  the  business  world  as  "In- 
vestment" and  "Interest."  The  suggestion 
here  is  made  that  you  write  down  an  answer 
to  each  one  of  the  following  questions  before 
you  proceed  further : 

What  is  an  "  investment  ? ' ' 

What  are  "investments"  in  general? 
What  is  "interest?" 

If  you  had  $1,000  which  you  decided  to  "in- 
vest" in  some  particular  thing,  what  would 
be  the  first  necessary  step  for  you  to  take? 

When  you  have  placed  your  money  in  an 

167 


METAMORPHOSE 

*' investment,"  what  positive  assurance  have 
you  that  it  will  be  returned  to  you  I 

When  you  deposit  money  in  a  bank,  what 
positive  assurance  have  you  that  it  will  be  re- 
turned? 

It  is  safe  to  assume  that  *' investments "  are 
made  with  the  idea  or  purpose  of  deriving  a 
profit  therefrom.  Since  we  know  what  profit 
is  we  may  presume  that  the  investor  is  seeking 
contributions  from  his  fellowmen. 

''Investment"  is  the  swapping  of  Credit  for 
other  Credit,  or  that  which  it  represents,  with 
a  view  of  deriving  "profit"  either  through 
"earnings"  or  a  subsequent  swap.  "Invest- 
ing" in  real  estate  or  stocks  is  a  fair  example. 
Possibly,  however,  a  more  pertinent  illustra- 
tion may  be  found  in  the  retail  mercantile  busi- 
ness. Suppose  a  person  desires  to  "invest"  in 
the  shoe  business.  He  first  secures  a  location 
and  leases  a  proper  room,  swapping  some  of 
his  Universal  Credit  for  the  convenience.  He 
then  proceeds  to  "buy"  his  stock;  that  is,  he 
swaps  some  more  of  his  Universal  Credit  for 
shoes  at  "wholesale"  prices.  He  chooses  the 
kind  of  shoes  that  he  thinks  people  will  want, 
since  he  must  have  "trade"  or  he  will  "fail." 
He  then  proceeds  to  "mark"  his  goods.  One 
"mark"  is  a  secret  mark  which  tells  how  much 
he  paid  for  them.  The  other  "mark,"  which 
is  also  sometimes  written  with  secret  charac- 
ters, states  what  he  is  willing  to  swap  them 

168 


ILLUSIONS 

for.  When  this  latter  mark  is  in  secret  char- 
acters it  enables  the  merchant  to  juggle  his 
selling  price  to  suit  the  occasion.  The  prosper- 
ity of  the  business  and  the  consequent  profit 
on  the  "investment"  depends  entirely  upon 
the  people  who  favor  him  with  their  custom. 
This  is  governed  by  the  great  Law  of  Average. 
Each  city  has  many  shoe  stores.  Only  an  av- 
erage number  of  the  population  desire  shoes 
each  day.  Each  individual  store  is  favored 
with  only  a  portion  of  the  small  average  who 
desire  shoes  daily.  Thus  we  might  say  that 
the  individual  store  depends  on  an  average 
number  out  of  an  average  number  of  people 
buying  something  each  day.  If  this  average 
is  not  sufficient  to  the  individual  store  to  pay 
the  merchant  a  "profit,"  he  "fails"  in  busi- 
ness and  has  consequently  lost  some  of  his  ac- 
cumulated surplus  in  his  "investment."  If 
his  business  continues  prosperous  he  continues 
to  advantageously  swap  Credit  for  shoes  and 
shoes  for  Credit,  and  he  "makes  money"  and 
becomes  a  prominent  business  man. 

You  will  notice  in  this  particular  "invest- 
ment" that  the  prosperity  of  the  shoe  merchant 
depends  entirely  upon  the  contributions  of  his 
fellowmen.  The  same  is  true  in  any  other  bus- 
iness, and  the  prosperity  of  any  "investment" 
whatsoever,  whether  it  be  in  the  mercantile, 
stock,  bond,  mortgage,  real  estate,  or  a  pro- 
fessional department  of  business,  depends  en- 

16& 


METAMORPHOSE 

tirely  upon  the  contributions  of  others.  Near- 
ly every  individual  member  of  the  body  politic 
is  seeking  out  a  good  plan  to  secure  donations 
under  a  different  label.  The  druggist  does  not 
sell  common  salt,  he  sells  sodium  chlorid.  The 
individual  does  not  seek  donations,  he  seeks 
''investments,"  it's  more  refined,  but  means 
the  same! 

Whether  an  individual  is  today  ''worth" 
thousands  or  millions  depends  entirely  upon 
the  contributions  he  has  received  and  retained 
from  others.  A  knowledge  of  this  truth  should 
make  those  who  are  "rich"  in  this  world's 
goods  duly  grateful  for  that  which  has  been 
bestowed  upon  them,  and  cause  them  to  discard 
any  haughty  arrogance  that  they  may  have  as- 
sumed toward  those  from  whom  their  benefits 
were  derived.  Conceited  vanity  in  riches  in- 
sults Intelligence. 

Investment  and  Interest  are  closely  related 
and  when  Interest  is  analyzed  the  relationship 
will  be  made  plain.  Interest  is  Eental.  It  is 
that  which  is  paid  for  the  privilege  of  utilizing 
another's  surplus. 

The  keeper  of  a  livery-stable  has  a  surplus 
stock  of  horses  and  carriages  which  he  rents. 
A  horse  and  carriage  represents  the  principal, 
while  the  hire  is  the  interest.  Some  individ- 
uals have  surplus  houses  which  they  rent.  The 
rent  is  usually  paid  monthly.    When  the  renter 

vacates  the  house  he  returns  the  principal  to 

170 


ILLUSIONS 

the  owner,  having  paid  his  interest  periodically. 
When  one  person  rents  "money"  from  an- 
other it  is  called  borrowing,  and  the  rental  is 
termed ''interest."    To  illustrate:    Suppose  A 
has  found  a  real  estate  investment  which  he 
believes  will  "pay."    To  enable  him  to  make 
the  investment  he  borrows  $1,000  from  B  at 
six  per  cent,   interest.     This   means   that  he 
agrees  to  pay  B  a  rental  of  six  cents  a  year 
for  the  use  of  each  dollar  of  Universal  Credit 
rented.    A  now  has  $1,000  on  which  he  desires 
to  "make"  something.     The  only  way  that  A 
can  make  the  dollars  "grow"  is  to  commence 
swapping.    He  must  immediately  give  them  to 
someone  else!    He  hastens  to  "buy"  the  lot 
and  in  the  course  of  a  few  months  his  "profit" 
expectations  are  realized.     He  finds  a  person, 
who  swaps  $1,500  to  him  for  the  lot.    This  en- 
ables him  to  return  B  the  principal  together 
with  the  rental  or  interest  and  leaves  him  a 
"profit"  besides.    In  this  illustration  you  will 
note  that  it  is  not  A  in  reality  who  pays  the 
interest  to  B,  but  it  is  that  vague,  indefinite 
other  fellow  who  contributes  to  A.    When  in- 
terest is  paid,  those  behind  the  apparent  payer 
are  the  real  contributors.    Take,  for  instance, 
the  individual  who  invests  his  money  in  an  of- 
fice building  and  proceeds  to  rent  the  offices.  It 
is  not  the  tenants  themselves  who  pay  the  ren- 
tal, but  the  patrons  who  maintain  the  tenants' 
business.     The  patrons  in  turn  receive  from 

m 


METAMORPHOSE 

others  what  they  contribute  to  the  tenants. 
Thus  again  we  find  that  "interest"  is  contrib- 
uted by  that  mystical  other  fellow. 

Profit  is  distinguished  from  ''interest'*  as 
follows:  Interest  represents  but  a  portion  of 
the  other  fellow's  charity— profit  represents 
all  of  it! 

There  are  those  who  make  a  profession  of 
preying  upon  the  necessities  or  misfortunes  of 
their  fellowmen  by  loaning  money  to  those  in 
distress,  and  exacting  an  exhorbitant  rental, 
ranging  from  sixty  to  one  hundred  twenty  per 
cent,  per  year.  They  usually  require  security 
in  the  form  of  personal  or  other  property 
amounting  to  two  or  three  times  the  loan.  To 
illustrate  what  ten  per  cent,  a  month  means, 
with  security  given  amounting  to  two  hundred 
per  cent,  of  the  loan,  we  will  suppose  that  Mr. 
S.  H.  Ark  has  a  $4,000  house  and  lot  for  rent, 
and  some  person  comes  to  him  and  states  that 
conditions  are  such  that  he  must  rent  that  house 
or  suffer  starvation,  or  possibly  death.  Mr. 
S.  H.  Ark,  perceiving  the  dire  distress  of  the 
other,  proceeds  to  make  merchandise  thereof 
for  the  purpose  of  increasing  his  already  large 
store  of  surplus  Credit,  so  he  exacts  a  rental 
of  $400  a  month — ten  per  cent,  a  month — for 
the  house,  or  $4,800  a  year,  under  the  condition 
that  the  unfortunate  renter  shall  pay  all  the 
taxes  and  repairs  on  the  house  during  his  oc- 
cupancy, and  shall  deposit  security  amounting 

172 


ILLUSIONS 

to  $8,000  to  insure  the  payment  of  the  rental 
and  the  return  of  the  house  intact! 

This  is  an  example  of  the  pawnbroking  and 
loan-shark  business.  In  it  we  endeavor  to  make 
plain  the  Necessity  which  causes  the  poor  renter 
to  seek  the  thing  that  Mr.  S.  H.  Ark  has.  Thou- 
sands have  suffered  even  the  death  penalty — 
suicides — by  not  being  able  to  secure  an  infin- 
itesimal amount  of  existing  Surplus  for  tem- 
porary use,  even  at  an  exhorbitant  rate  of  in- 
terest. Such  a  condition  is  merely  fruit  of  the 
Tree,  and  the  time  will  come  when  it  will  be 
exterminated. 

** Investments"  and  ^' loans"  are  often  used 
as  synonomous  terms,  but  there  is  a  difference. 
Investment  implies  either  future  swapping  at  a 
profit,  or  profit  derived  through  the  produc- 
tion or  distribution  of  surplus  products  by  the 
advantageous  utility  of  the  thing  invested  in. 
A  loan  implies  rental  only,  and  the  utility  of 
the  thing  lies  not  with  the  one  who  loans  but 
with  another.  Whatever  is  'Moaned  at  inter- 
est" is,  in  reality,  rented.  The  word  'inter- 
est" was  coined  to  indicate  the  rental  paid  for 
the  use  of  money,  but  since  money  represents 
surplus  products,  then  interest  and  rental  are 
synonomous  except  to  distinguish  that  which 
is  rented. 

There  are  many  variations  or  complications 
of  the  application  of  the  principles  of  invest- 
ment and  rental.    It  is  the  intent  here  to  make 

173 


METAMORPHOSE 

plain  only  the  principles  and  not  all  of  their 
varied  applications. 

The  very  nature  of  a  "reserve  fund"  for- 
bids that  it  be  jeopardized.  A  bank  ''reserve" 
is  in  actual  cash  which  is  neither  ''invested" 
nor  rented.  In  other  words  it  has  no  utility 
whatever,  and  for  all  practical  purposes,  it 
might  as  well  be  so  much  putty  that  is  not 
utilized.  So  long  as  the  bank  remains  "sol- 
vent" its  Eeserve  Fund  is  idle,  is  it  not? 

Eeserve  Funds  of  other  institutions  are,  as 
a  rule,  either  "deposited"  in  banks  or  else  rent- 
ed. They  are  seldom  used  for  actual  invest- 
ment purposes  except  to  advantage  the  indi- 
viduals who  have  them  in  custody.  You  will 
thus  perceive  that  a  Reserve  Fund  is  never 
utilized  to  the  best  advantage  of  the  patrons 
of  the  institution  since,  when  it  is  borrowed,  it 
is  the  borrower  who  utilizes  it  to  his  own  ad- 
vantage, and  he  pays  the  institution  a  small 
portion  of  the  benefit  he  derives  from  its  util- 
ity. For  instance,  the  policy-holders  of  the 
Old  Line  Insurance  Companies  in  the  U.  S. 
have,  during  the  past  fifty  years,  contributed 
sufficient  to  pay  all  of  the  mortality  benefits 
that  have  occurred,  and  an  additional  sum 
amounting  to  $2,500,000,000,  which  is  held  as  a 
Eeserve  Fund  by  the  managers  of  those  insti- 
tutions. The  interest  or  rental  of  the  Reserve 
Funds  during  that  period  has  just  about  paid 
the  expenses  of  management  of  the  institution. 

174 


ILLUSIONS 

Fifty  years  is  sufficient  length  of  "time"  to 
enable  us  to  strike  an  average.  In  other  words, 
we  can  arrive  at  the  general  trend  of  the  oper- 
ation and  its  golden  mean.  During  the  next 
fifty  ''years"  the  same  Causes  would  produce 
the  same  Effects,  and  men  could  continue,  as 
at  present,  to  pay  all  mortuary  ''losses"  undef 
that  system,  and  add  to  the  huge  Reserve  Fund 
in  exact  proiDortion  to  what  has  already  been 
created,  and  the  "interest"  on  this  Reserve 
Fund  would  approximately  pay  the  expenses! 

Of  what  use  then  is  that  Reserve  Fund  I  Dur- 
ing the  past  fifty  years  has  it  been  utilized  to 
the  best  advantage  of  those  who  created  it? 
Would  it  not  have  been  far  more  advantageous 
to  the  policy-holders  to  have  contributed  just 
sufficient  to  pay  the  mortuary  benefits  and  the 
expenses,  and  retain  for  their  own  use  the  bil- 
lions they  contributed  unnecessarily?  Does  it 
not  occur  to  you  that  the  $2,500,000,000  held 
in  reserve  by  the  Old  Line  Insurance  Compan- 
ies would  be  of  far  greater  benefit  to  the  pres- 
ent generation  if  it  were  equitably  distributed 
amongst  the  present  policy-holders  and  prop- 
erly utilized  by  them,  than  it  can  possibly  be 
to  some  imaginary  future  generation?*  If  it 
has  not  been  advantageously  utilized  during 
the  past  fifty  years,  at  just  what  point  in  the 
"future"  will  it  be  properly  utilized?  Here 
another  question  arises,  will  the  future  gener- 

*See  Note   (r)  Appendix. 

175 


METAMORPHOSE 

ation  need  this  vast  accumulation  of  Credit 
which  we  bequeath  to  them?  Possibly  they 
will  then  have  evolved  a  more  rational  System 
which  will  obviate  the  seeming  necessity  of 
either  a  Reserve  Fund  or  the  cumulation  of 
unwieldly  and  needless  surplus  Credit  to  the 
individual!  At  all  events  it  must  be  admitted 
that  this  Reserve  Fund  and  the  nonsensical 
man-made  laws  which  ''regulate"  it  are  ex- 
tremely detrimental  to  the  present  policy- 
holder. 

The  difference  between  Divine  Law  and  man- 
made  law  is  the  difference  between  Wisdom 
and  Ignorance.  It  is  most  amusing  to  watch 
the  busy  human  owls  who  manufacture  our 
*'laws."  New  conditions  are  constantly  aris- 
ing under  the  Competitive  system  which  ne- 
cessitate certain  rules  of  conduct  to  prevent 
spoliation.  Such  laws  can  be  made  as  just  as 
the  system  will  permit,  but  they  often  aid  and 
abet  that  which  they  are  ostensibly  intended 
to  prevent.  Whether  this  be  done  ignorantly 
or  deliberately  is  immaterial.  The  Effect  is 
the  same. 

Man-made  laws  neither  precede  nor  cause  the 
condition,  but  are  rather  the  fruit  of  the  con- 
dition, except  luhen  they  are  made  for  the  de- 
liberate purpose  of  aggrandizement. 

During  the  past  fifty  years  men  have  been 
making  laws  to  ''regulate"  Life  Insurance,  and 
they  are  still  "regulating"  and  will  continue 

176 


ILLUSIONS 

to  '  *  regulate ' '  as  the  plan  evolves.  The  ' '  regu- 
lation" follows  the  condition.  It  is  the  princi- 
ple of  "locking  the  barn  after  the  horse  is 
stolen."  The  rules  and  regulations,  or  the 
**laws,"  are  formulated  by  those  who  know 
little  or  nothing  of  the  principles  on  which  the 
business  is  based.  When  we  take  into  consid- 
eration the  additional  fact  that  law-making  has 
degenerated  into  boodling,  then  we  can  per- 
ceive an  amazing  state  of  affairs  in  this  ' '  free ' ' 
government. 

It  is  popular  clamor  alone  that  restrains  the 
enactment  of  the  most  ridiculous  and  unjust 
laws,  but  in  spite  of  this  public  surveillance  the 
lawmakers,  with  devilish  cunning,  have  enacted 
some  of  the  most  iniquitous  laws  that  could 
possibly  be  imagined.  This  is  done  through 
Illusion,  and  the  people  are  deluded  for  a  time 
by  plausible  Appearance. 

Probably  the  best  example  of  an  iniquitous 
law  that  appears  harmless  and  even  just,  is 
one  that  was  enacted  by  Congress  and  pro- 
nounced Constitutional  by  the  present  Supreme 
Court  of  the  United  States.  This  law  gives 
the  Postmaster-General  the  power  to  wantonly 
destroy  the  business  of  any  individual  in  the 
United  States,  and  to  brand  any  individual 
member  of  any  community  as  a  fraud  and  a 
rascal!  This  is  done  at  the  merest  whim  or 
caprice  of  whoever  happens  to  be  temporarily 

177 


METAMORPHOSE 

filling  the  position  of  Posrmaster-General!  He 
is  not  obliged  to  give  any  reason  for  his  act; 
there  .is  no  process  of  law  involved;  no  ]utj  can 
be  appealed  to  by  ^e  victim  as  to  the  right  or 
justice  of  the  act!  Nor  is  there  any  provision 
for  a  wrong  to  be  righted. 

But  this  is  not  the  worst  of  it.  The  Post- 
master-General can  delegate  this  power  to  any 
of  his  underlings !  It  was  an  outrageous  usurp- 
ation of  this  power  that  caused  an  honest,  up- 
right and  true  American  citizen — J.  Franklin 
Davis — to  investigate  the  methods  of  the  Post- 
office  Department,  and  there  unearth  a  nest  of 
most  foul  grafters  who  utilized  this  law,  not  for 
right,  for  truth,  for  justice,  but  for  boodle! 
That  you  may  better  understand  the  situation 
a  brief  explanation  of  one  of  the  most  notori- 
ous blackmailing  and  plundering  schemes  ever 
conducted  by  our  ''Government"  under  this 
"law"  is  briefly  outlined  in  the  Appendix.* 

That  "law"  and  that  condition  exist  in  this 
countiy  today,  and  it  is  the  most  wanton  as- 
sault on  American  freedom  that  American 
asininity  has  ever  essayed  to  make.  When  we 
consider  that  American  Judges  are  selected 
from  the  ranks  of  lawyers,  and  that  it  is  their 
mere  province  to  enforce  the  laws  that  are 
made,  then  we  can  perceive  that  there  is  much 
that  is  putrid  in  this  grand  and  glorious  Amer- 
ica of  ours — yours  and  mine,  my  countrymen! 

♦See  Note  (s)  Appendix. 

178 


ILLUSIONS 

If  we  allow  it  to  remain  so  then  we  are  to 
blame. 

The  imposition  on  the  intelligence  of  the 
American  people  and  the  oppressive  and  la- 
mentable injustice  that  is  being  practiced  daily* 
— yes,  daily,  we  say  it  advisedly — under  that 
law,  has  caused  us  to  set  forth  the  iniquity  of 
it  in  a  seemingly  harsh  manner.  The  law,  how- 
ever, is  but  fruit  of  the  Tree,  and  as  such  it  is 
presented  here. 

The  Reserve  Fund  of  Life  Insurance  and 
the  laws  pertaining  thereto  serve  to  throw  di- 
rect light  on  the  process  of  ''law"  making.  The 
men  who  originated  the  idea  of  a  Eeserve  Fund 
in  Life  Insurance  no  doubt  considered  it  a 
good  thing — at  least  for  the  management.  They 
proceeded  to  put  their  plan  into  operation,  and, 
after  it  was  well  started,  the  attention  of  the 
lawmakers  was  attracted  to  it,  and  they  pro- 
ceeded to  pass  some  rules  and  regulations  called 
*'laws"  to  govern  its  usage.  Did  they  know 
the  first  principles  of  either  life  insurance  or 
''reserve  funds'?" 

In  time  they  went  even  further  and  passed 
laws  which  make  a  Reserve  Fund  necessary  in 
certain  institutions,  which  need  a  reserve  fund 
about  as  much  as  a  horse  needs  a  piano.  Thus 
are  "laws"  generated  and  elaborated  by  law- 
makers, sans  ideas,  sans  thought,  sans  good 
sense ! 

*     Se^  Note  (t)  Appendix. 

179 


METAMORPHOSE 

On  making  careful  inquiry  amongst  the  law- 
makers it  is  found  that  while  they  have  many 
misgivings  as  to  the  purpose  and  object  of  a 
** Reserve  Fund,"  they  believe  in  having 
**laws"  on  the  subject  whether  they  are  perti- 
nent or  not.  What  is  the  use  of  a  law-making 
body  that  doesn't  make  ''laws"? 

One  of  the  greatest  of  modern  Illusions  is 
what  is  dubbed  the  ''majesty"  of  the  "law." 
When  viewed  in  its  reality  from  its  generation 
to  its  death,  its  "majesty"  is  about  as  appar- 
ent as  is  the  "majesty"  of  the  Sultan  of  Sulu 
in  the  comic  opera.  If  it  were  conceived  in  Wis- 
dom and  executed  in  Truth  and  Justice,  it  would 
not  be  necessary  to  dress  it  up  with  wig  and  robe 
and  surround  it  with  stately  pomp  and  obse- 
quious defference.  The  innate  nobility  in  man 
always  recognizes  true  Majesty,  and  if  the 
"law"  were  really  majestic  there  would  be  no 
need  of  nonsensical  frippery  to  give  it  the  out- 
ward semblance  of  worth!    Is  that  not  logical? 

A  COMPABATIVELY  FEW  YEARS  WILL  SEE  PRACTI- 
CALLY EVERY  PRESENT  MAN-MADE  LAW  BECOME  OB- 
SOLETE AS  NEW  LAWS  ARE  ENACTED  TO  GOVERN  NEW 

CONDITIONS.    These  new  laws  will  correspond 

WITH  THE  conditions.  If  THE  CONDITIONS  BE 
good  AND  BENEFICIAL,  THE  LAWS  WILL  BE  LIKEWISE, 
SINCE    THE    LAWS    ARE    THE    FRUIT    OF    THE    TrEE. 

Therefore  by  regulating  the  conditions  we 
CAN  regulate  the  "laws." 
It  is  a  delusion  to  attempt  to  regulate  condi- 

180 


ILLUSIONS 

tions  by  man-made  law,  when  the  laws  follow 
the  conditions  and  are  born  out  of  them.  A  few 
more  progressive  steps  in  reform  and  men  of 
wisdom  will  be  chosen  to  formulate  and  admin- 
ister laws,  and  they  will  formulate  them  so  that 
they  will  vibrate  in  harmony  with  those  Higher 
Laws  which  generate  Wisdom.  Then  will  the 
number  of  laws  be  decimated  and  the  burden 
of  mankind  will  be  lessened  a  hundred  fold.* 

"With  seven  Laws,  God  governs  the  Universe. 
Man  is  now  unable  to  properly  govern  himself 
with  seventy  thousand  laws! 

"You  can  fool  all  of  the  people  some  of  the 
time,  or  some  of  the  people  all  of  the  time, 
but,  you  cannot  fool  all  of  the  people  all  of 
the  time." — Lincoln. 

"The  American  people  like  to  be  hum- 
bugged. ' ' — Barnum. 

*See  Note   (u)  Appendix. 


CHAPTER  XI 

The  Mathematics  of  Religion 

"The  woman  saith  unto  him,  Sir,  thou  hast 
nothing  to  draw  with  and  the  well  is  deep: 
from  whence  hast  thou  that  living  water?" — 
John. 

No  really  intelligent  mind  that  has  burst  the 
narrow  confines  of  Conventionality  and  Custom 
will  maintain  to  itself  even  for  a  moment  that 
the  present  condition  of  affairs,  especially  the 
distribution  of  Surplus,  is  a  condition  of  equity 
and  justice. 

No  attempt  has  been  made  in  this  work  to 
point  out  all  of  the  errors  that  exist,  and  es- 
pecially have  we  refrained  from  pointing  out 
the  existing  errors  of  our  educational  system, 
particularly  public  schools.  It  must  be  men- 
tioned, however,  that  the  public  good  demands 
that  all  bonds  between  the  present  political  sys- 
tem and  our  public  school  system  should  be  sev- 
ered as  soon  as  possible.  Teachers  should  be 
chosen  because  of  their  fitness  for  the  work,  not 
because  of  a  political  ''pull."  The  salaries 
should  be  double  or  triple  the  present  remuner- 
ation to  enable  teachers  to  surround  themselves 

182 


MATHEMATICS  OF  RELIGION 

with  harmonious  environment  and  properly 
pursue  their  own  personal  development.  Teach- 
ers should  be  teachers  in  fact,  as  well  as  in 
name.  They  should  work  for  the  work's  sake 
instead  of  the  dollar's  sake. 

The  grosser  evils,  political  and  social,  that 
we  find  in  all  municipalities,  are  apparent  to 
millions  of  people,  and  it  is  unnecessary  that 
they  be  treated  here  in  detail. 

The  labor  troubles,  the  tariff  question,  and 
the  trust  problem  are  subjects  which  the  indi- 
vidual can  contemplate  at  his  leisure  in  current 
publications.  All  of  these  things  are  the  fruit 
of  the  Tree,  and  they  will  cease  to  appear  only 
when  the  Tree  is  destroyed. 

In  this  brief  volume  an  earnest  endeavor  has 
been  made  to  point  out  the  grosser  errors  and 
show  the  Causes  which  produce  the  Effects. 

Nothing  herein  emanates  from  bitterness.  On 
the  contrary,  the  words  are  uttered  with  com- 
passionate good-will.  It  does  not  require  pro- 
found philosophy  to  realize  that  the  present 
conditions  are  but  a  part  of  the  sublime  Opera- 
tion, and  are,  therefore,  an  important  factor  in 
Evolution.  When  we  understand  this,  then  we 
realize  that  the  present  conditions  are  right  and 
proper,  inasmuch  as  they  are  the  sign-boards 
which  point  out  the  better  way.  *' Render  unto 
Caesar  the  things  that  are  Caesar's,  and  unto 
God,  the  things  that  are  God's." 

In  order  to  become  conscious  of  the  present 

183 


METAMORPHOSE 

degradation  of  the  race,  it  is  necessary  that 
mankind  should  experience  the  existing  evils 
and  horrors  so  that  he  will  not  again  retrograde. 
Progress  is  impossible  where  there  is  nothing  to 
overcome.  If  all  were  "harmony,"  we  would 
know  no  such  word  or  condition  as  "discord." 
If  all  were  "  discord"  we  would  know  no  such 
word  or  condition  as  "harmony."  All  knowl- 
edge and  wisdom  is  attained  only  through  com- 
parison or  correspondence  and  this  necessitates 
various  grades  of  conditions.  Various  grades 
necessitate  dualities  or  poles,  else  there  would 
be  no  Order.  S^ithout  Order  all  would  be 
Chaos. 

Through  a  process  of  logical  deduction  we 
can  easily  determine  the  fact  that  the  present 
conditions  exist,  not  because  they  are  good,  but 
because  they  point  out  the  way  to  the  Good.  In 
this  respect,  and  in  this  respect  alone,  the  pres- 
ent conditions  are  right,  and  we  should  thank 
the  good  Father  for  the  lessons  which  alone  will 
develop  our  consciousness  so  that  we  can  con- 
ceive the  wonders  that  He  has  in  store  for  us. 
We  should  thank  Him  for  the  experiences  that 
we  call  trials  and  tribulations,  which,  when 
properly  utilized,  serve  to  strengthen  and  ex- 
pand the  soul  so  that  it  can  contain  the  ineffable 
Spirit  of  Good,  which,  if  it  flowed  into  us  in  our 
present  unprepared  state  would  consume  us 
with  its  supernal  Fire. 

When  we  understand  that  all  Form  and  Shape 

184 


MATHEMATICS  OF  RELIGION 

is  but  tlie  symbolic  expression  of  Ideas,  then 
we  can  easily  realize  that  the  Idea  must  always 
precede  the  manifestation.  When  we  are  per- 
fectly familiar  with  this  truth,  then  comes  the 
knowledge  that  Ideas  are  the  real  things  of  ex- 
istence, while  all  things  else  are  but  their  re- 
flective symbols.  Reasoning  from  this  point  we 
must  admit  that  whatever  the  mind  of  man 

CAN  CONCEIVE  IS  POSSIBLE  OR  REAL. 

This  truth  can  also  be  arrived  at  in  another 
way:  The  mind  of  man  can  not  conceive  the 
** impossible"  or  ''unreal."  The  mind  of  man 
can    onlT/  conceive  the    possible.      Therefore, 

WHATEVER  THE  MIND  OF  MAN  CAN  CONCEIVE  IS  POS- 
SIBLE. 

The  "impossible"  or  ''unreal"  has  no  exist- 
ence !  Man  coined  those  words  in  order  to  give 
expression  to  the  limitation  he  places  upon  him- 
self! 

The   next  proposition  we  arrive  at  is  this: 

The  INDIVIDUAL  WHO  SAYS  "IMPOSSIBLE"  SIMPLY 
GIVES  EXPRESSION  TO  HIS  OWN  LIMITATION. 

The  limitation  of  the  Race  consists  of  the 
average  limitation  of  the  individual  parts.  The 
limitation  that  the  individual  puts  upon  him- 
self thus  hinders  the  progress  of  the  Race  in 
proportion  to  the  number  of  other  individuals 
who  stupidly  follow  his  voice  of  Ignorance.* 

This  limitation  is  the  brake  of  Progress  and 
is  serviceable  to  mankind  only  as  such. 
Whether  or  not  the  road  ahead  necessitates  the 

*See  Note  (v)  Appendix. 

185 


METAMORPHOSE 

same  tight  application  of  the  brake  as  has  been 
made  in  the  past  is  a  question  that  will  finally 
be  answered  by  Events. 

When  the  individual  is  sufficiently  strong 
mentally  to  retain  his  balance,  he  is  ready  to 
come  into  the  consciousness  of  the  good  things 
in  store  for  him.  There  is  a  difference  between 
vague,  distraught  imaginings,  and  logical  Ideas. 
It  is  the  difference  between  lunacy  and  sanity. 

It  should  now  be  apparent  that  the  purer  and 
more  exalted  the  Ideas  that  are  permitted  to 
come  into  and  remain  in  the  mind,  the  purer 
and  more  exalted  the  consciousness  will  be. 
When  we  contemplate  evil  conditions  it  should 
be  for  the  purpose  of  discerning,  through  com- 
parison, their  controvention.  Having  found  the 
negation  we  should  cast  out  or  loose  the  evil 
thoughts  or  thought  from  our  mind  by  displac- 
ing it  with  good.  Thus  we  can  attain  to  any 
heighth  or  condition  of  goodness  to  which  we 
may  aspire.  We  are  undergoing  a  constant 
change,  individually  and  collectively,  whether 
we  will  or  no,  for  such  is  the  Law.  We,  hav- 
ing the  mind,  are,  to  a  certain  degree,  shapers 
of  our  own  destiny ;  at  least  we  can  choose  the 
road  we  wish  to  take.  Why  not  voluntarily 
choose  the  better?  This  is  the  process  of  Re- 
generation. 

The  dual  conditions  of  human  existence  are 
Good  and  Evil.  Religion,  in  its  various  forms 
and  under  its  numerous  heads,  is  the  worship 
of  the  Good.     It  demonstrates  man's  innate 

186 


MATHEMATICS  OF  RELIGION 

yearning  for  the  Good.  That  he  worships  Good 
instead  of  Evil  is  proof  conclusive  that  Good 
predominates  in  the  Evolution  of  the  race.  Up 
to  the  present  time  his  consecrated  Idol, 
whether  a  material  or  an  indefinite  mental 
image,  represents  something  that  is  vaguely 
better,  grander,  nobler,  and  more  powerful 
than  he.  That  Good  is  not  clear  and  well  de- 
fined in  the  mind,  else  it  ivere  an  active  part  of 
man,  since  the  idea  of  Good  is  his  own.  Recog- 
nizing, by  comparison,  a  few  of  his  ' '  sins ' '  and 
his  manifest  weakness,  man  vociferously  prays 
with  empty  sound  to  a  vague  Something  that 
resides  Somewhere,  beseeching  Him  to  bestow 
unearned  and  undeserved  blessings  upon  the 
suppliant.  It  is  thus  he  has  sought  to  attain 
unto  the  Good.  Unconscious  that  "all  things 
that  the  Father  hath  are  mine"*  if  properly 
sought,  he  has  crawled  his  snail-like  way  ''up 
the  craggy  steeps  of  Progress  and  of  Time,"** 
ever  supplicating  the  transcendent  Good  to  be 
merciful  and  to  shower  him  with  the  material 
comforts  of  life.  Some  prayers  heard  in 
Christian  churches  would  be  extremely  comi- 
cal if  they  were  not  so  pathetic.  So  many  fail 
to  realize  what  Jesus  meant  when  he  said  "Ye 
worship  ye  know  not  what :  we  know  what  we 
worship.  The  hour  cometh  and  now  is  when  the 
true  worshipers  shall  worship  the  Father  in 
spirit  and  in  Truth :  for  the  Father  seeketh  such 
to  worship  him.    God  is  a  spirit:  and  they  that 

*See    Note    (w)    Appendix. 
**See   Note    (x)    Appendix. 

187 


METAMORPHOSE 

worship  Him  must  worship  Him  in  Spirit  and 
in  Truth." 

The  attainment  of  the  Good  is  through  the 
simple  process  of  eliminating  the  Evil.  Thus 
we  can  reduce  religion  to  a  mathematical  prop- 
osition ! 

When  the  individual  attains  unto  sufficient 
Good,  he  will  begin  to  realize  more  of  the 
Father  and  his  divine  attributes,  and  will  then 
become  a  still  more  ardent  searcher  for  that 
which  enables  the  human  consciousness  to  see 
and  know.  He  is  then  fairly  started  on  the 
road  to  Salvation. 

It  should  be  understood  that  we  are  not  deal- 
ing with  the  subject  of  Religion  as  Religion  is 
commonly  regarded.  There  are  nearly  as  many 
isms,  as  there  are  individuals,  because  in  the 
Beginning  it  was  decreed  by  the  Father  that 
each  individual  human  being  should  choose  his 
own  way.  Free-will  is  an  inherent  God-given 
attribute,  and  should  any  creed  restrict  this 
Free-will,  it  commits  the  sin  of  violating  one 
of  God's  Commandments.  Each  person  should 
earnestly  seek  the  acquistion  of  the  Good  and 
the  elimination  of  Evil ;  or,  possibly  to  make  it 
plainer,  one  should  seek  to  harmonize  himself 
with  Natural  Law  or  Truth  and  cease  antagon- 
izing it.  That  would  seem  a  sensible  course  to 
pursue,  and  it  does  not  interfere  with  any  man*s 
religion  or  with  any  creed,  unless  the  creed, 
perchance,  is  narrow  and  restrictive. 

188 


MATHEMATICS  OF  RELIGION 

Any  unkind  thoughts  toward  another  is  a  vio- 
lation of  the  Divine  Law  of  Universal  Love, 
and  doubly  injures  the  individual  harboring 
them  since,  being  evil,  they  cause  mental  dis- 
ease and  consequently  physical  disease,  and  also 
during  their  retention  they  exclude  the  Good 
and  True.  Therefore,  Evil  should  be  elimin- 
ated. 

We  have  before  demonstrated  that  Greed  is 
Evil;  so  also  is  Envy,  Malice,  Fear,  Hate,  etc. 
**Be  not  overcome  of  Evil,  but  overcome  Evil 
with  Good,"  is  another  way  of  stating  the  pro- 
cess of  elimination.  We  are  not  expounding  a 
new  Truth,  but  we  are  possibly  presenting  an 
old,  old  Truth  in  a  different  light. 

We  have  endeavored  to  present  the  idea  clear- 
ly in  modern  phraseology  and  illustration.  It 
seems  as  though  the  ancient  manner  of  present- 
ing it  is  not  understood,  or  else  our  people  fail 
to  see  the  wisdom  of  the  practical  application 
of  the  Idea.  An  idea  not  understood  is  of  no 
value.  The  world  always  needs  practical  ideas 
for  world  betterment,  but  what  it  needs  more  is 
the  intelligence  which  will  practically  apply  or 
utilize  the  ideas. 

One  of  the  most  important  propositions  with 
which  the  human  consciousness  should  be  on 
intimate  terms  is  here  repeated: 

The  idea  must  always  precede  the  material 
manifestation. 

It  is  possible  for  an  idea  to  exist  without  there 
being  a  visible  form.    For  instance,  there  is  the 

189 


METAMORPHOSE 

idea  of  our  Government,  but  it  has  no  material 
form  that  we  can  see.  There  are  secret  organ- 
izations that  have  shape  and  form  which  can- 
not be  seen  with  the  physical  eye.  We  might 
say  that  the  idea  of  the  Government  is  mater- 
ialized by  the  body  politic,  or  the  secret  order 
by  the  membership.  But  do  they  represent  the 
idea?  The  idea  of  our  Government  preceded 
the  Government,  and  the  idea  of  the  secret  or- 
ganization preceded  it. 

The  inceptive  idea  as  revealed  to  man's  con- 
sciousness, however,  does  not  necessarily  con- 
tain all  of  the  variations  and  developments  of 
Evolution.  Ideas  are  but  parts  of  the  Opera- 
tion, as  individuals  are  parts  of  the  Race. 

It  is  not  our  purpose  here  to  elucidate  the 
evolution  of  an  idea,  but  these  things  are  called 
to  mind  because  it  is  our  intention  to  present 
the  outline  of  an  Idea  that  is  far  more  import- 
ant in  man's  evolution  than  was  the  idea  of  the 
United  States  Government,  which,  in  spite  of 
present  faults,  is  considered  one  of  the  most  im- 
portant institutions  on  earth.  Men  made  this 
Government  and  they  maintain  it.  Under  it 
people  have  banded  together  for  their  welfare. 
They  are  not  only  supporting  themselves,  and 
as  a  whole,  "making  money"  off  each  other, 
but  they  are  supplying  millions  of  other  peo- 
ple with  the  necessities,  comforts,  and  luxuries 
of  life.  It  is  a  wonderful  organization,  this 
country  of  ours,  a  sort  of  a  great  fraternal  mu- 

190 


MATHEMATICS  OF  RELIGION 

tual  benefit  organization,  and  it  is  the  work  of 
man.  But  remember  that  great  always  suc- 
cumbs to  greater. 

There  is  a  greater,  grander,  nobler  organiza- 
tion in  store  for  man  that  will  be  far  more  ben- 
eficial to  the  Race  than  any  organization  in 
existence.  "Wlien  we  speak  of  existing  organi- 
zations, we  mean  not  only  Life  Insurance  and 
the  grand  Secret  Orders,  but  also  the  Govern- 
ments of  the  earth. 

The  Idea  is  revealed  to  man  at  what  is  com- 
monly called  the  '' psychical  moment"  in  the 
evolution  of  the  Race;  that  is,  it  comes  in  its 
natural  place  in  the  Operation. 

All  students  know  that  the  Law  of  Manifes- 
tation or  Evolution  always  involves  action  and 
reaction,  or  Vibration.  All  natural  vibrations 
are  circulatory  and  travel  the  path  of  a  helix 
or  spiral.  The  path  of  the  Moon  around  the 
Earth  and  with  the  Earth  around  the  Sun  and 
with  the  Sun  around  the  great  Central  Sun,  is 
as  clear  an  illustration  of  natural  vibration  as 
one  could  wish. 

By  drawing  a  circle  you  will  note  that  during 
half  of  the  operation  the  point  is  moving  /rom 
the  place  where  it  started,  and  when  it  gets  ex- 
actly opposite  the  starting  place,  it  begins  its 
return  journey.  The  first  half  of  the  circle  is 
the  Positive  element  of  the  vibration  or  the 
circle,  while  the  latter  half  is  the  Negative.  It 
requires  both  the  forward  movement  and  the 

191 


METAMORPHOSE 

backward  movement  to  complete  the  vibration. 
Nothing  is  ever  complete  unless  its  Positive 
and  Negative  elements  are  united  in  equilib- 
rium.   This  is  true  in  the  evolution  of  the  Race. 

If  you  will  actually  draw  a  circle  you  will 
note  that  when  the  Negative  movement  begins 
it  is  but  slightly  different  from  the  last  portion 
of  the  Positive  movement,  and  it  still  appears, 
judging  by  appearances  alone,  as  though  there 
were  little  probability  of  its  ever  reaching  the 
starting  point;  but  as  the  movement  continues 
it  swings  more  and  more  in  that  direction  until 
at  last  it  is  pointed  directly  toward  it.  This 
teaches  us  that  in  the  majestic  circles  of  Evolu- 
tion, the  transformation  of  states  or  condi- 
tions is  neither  instantaneous  nor  erratic,  but 
the  New  gradually  devours  and  assimulates, 
as  it  were,  that  which  was  created  for  its  sus- 
tenance. ''The  new  is  always  established  in 
terms  of  the  New  and  makes  its  own  conditions 
— not  by  onslaught  and  overturn — but  by  dis- 
placing the  old  ones." 

The  growth  of  the  new  condition  begins  as 
all  other  growth,  with  a  minute  creative  spark 
which  draws  to  itself  the  sustenance  necessary 
for  its  development  and  expansion.  The  more 
important  the  condition,  the  greater  the  cir- 
cumference of  its  vibration  and  consequently 
the  "slower"  the  growth.  We  may  say  then, 
that  the  slower  the  growth,  the  more  lasting 

192 


MATHEMATICS  OF  RELIGION 

the  thing  or  condition.    Compare,  for  instance, 
the  oak  and  the  mushroom. 

Since  the  starting  point  in  a  colossal  Evolu- 
tionary vibration  is  unknown  to  man,  he  cannot 
locate  the  exact  Point  of  Change  except,  pos- 
sibly, through  a  process  of  deduction.  Neither 
is  it  essential  that  man  should  perceive  the  ex- 
act Point  of  Change  with  reference  to  his  evo- 
lution, else  he  would  be  supplied  with  the  know- 
ledge. All  is  revealed  to  him  in  its  natural 
order.  We  might  say  that  the  establishment 
of  a  practical  application  of  the  Golden  Rule 
had  its  birth  with  Jesus  of  Nazareth.  Such  a 
conjecture  might  be  wrong  or  it  might  be  right. 
At  any  rate,  we  know  that  there  have  been  about 
two  thousand  years  of  development  along  that 
line  which  appears  very  slow  in  the  light  of  the 
present  period  of  seeming  rapid  development. 
Yet  we  know  by  the  movement  of  the  Earth 
that  the  Cosmic  whirl  is  not  enhanced! 

Nearly  every  mind  that  disengages  itself  for 
a  few  moments  from  its  quest  for  dollars,  and 
becomes  receptive  to  the  Universal,  can  feel 
an  ominous  vibration  that  betokens  an  auspic- 
ious Change.  Everywhere  people  are  becom- 
ing restless  under  the  present  conditions. 
Everywhere  are  new  movements  being  inaugu- 
rated which  are  the  result  of  embryonic  Ideas. 
New  Zealand  is  giving  the  world  an  innovation 
in  Government.  Municipal  ownership  of  pub- 
lic utilities  has  become  very  prominent  in  pol- 

193 


METAMORPHOSE 

itics  and  will  probably  take  a  leading  part  in 
the  next  presidential  campaign.  Reform  move- 
ments are  gaining  headway  everywhere.  Men 
of  honor  and  integrity  who  have  the  welfare 
of  the  commonwealth  at  heart,  are  accepting 
nominations  to  office  and  the  people  are  elect- 
ing them.  Cogent  and  efficient  writers  are  daily 
proclaiming  the  gross  errors  of  the  present. 
The  doctrines  of  ideal  Socialism  are  finding 
new  listeners  daily.  Tens  of  thousands,  yes, 
millions,  desire  a  Change  !* 

Desire  is  the  father  of  the  Thonght.  Aspi- 
ration is  the  progenitor  of  the  Idea.  Neces- 
sity is  the  mother  of  Invention! 

The  Change  is  at  hand! 

*See  Note   (y)    Appendix. 

"Whosoever  drinketh  of  the  water  that  I  shall 
give  him  shall  never  thirstj  but  the  water  that 
I  shall  give  him  shall  be  in  him  a  well  of 
water  springing  up  into  everlasting  life!"—* 
John. 


CHAPTER  XII 

The  Kationale  of  the  New 

**Ring  out  a  slow  dying  cause 

And    ancient   forms    of   party   strife; 
Eing  in   the   nobler   modes   of   life, 
"With   sweeter   manners,   purer  laws. 

"Ring  out  false  pride  in  place  and  blood, 
The  civic  slander   and  the  spite; 
Eing  in  the  love   of  truth  and  right, 
Eing  in  the  common  love  of  Good. ' ' — Tennyson. 

It  would  seem  a  tremendous  undertaking  to 
change  the  present  condition  of  affairs  so  as  to 
cause  a  complete  reversal  in  the  methods  of  ad- 
justing the  material  relations  of  men,  but  the 
task  is  not  difficult  since  it  will  come  about  nat- 
urally when  the  proper  plan  is  conceived  and 
set  in  motion.  Intelligence  must  admit  that 
self-evident  Truth! 

The  plan  is  already  conceived  and  is  about  to 
be  set  in  motion. 

Impatience  inquires  ''what  is  it?  Tell  me  all 
about  it  so  that  I  can  understand  it  at  a 
glance. ' ' 

It  has  taken  many  words  to  set  forth  the  ex- 
isting conditions  and  their  causes,  with  which 

195 


METAMORPHOSE 

everyone  should  already  be  familiar.  How  then 
can  the  new  Economic  System  be  comprehen- 
sively presented  with  few  words?  The  new, 
however,  is  easily  comprehended  by  intelligence 
that  desires  to  know  and  is  willing  to  make  har- 
monious effort. 

An  outline  of  the  Idea — of  the  Movement  and 
Principles — can  be  given,  but  it  would  require 
another  volume  to  elucidate  the  full  details, 
with  the  probability  that  such  a  course  would 
do  more  harm  than  good.  In  fact,  publishing 
the  details  at  this  time  can  do  no  possible  good, 
since  it  would  but  cater  to  idle  curiosity.  A 
way  has  been  provided  for  those  who  really  de- 
sire to  know.* 

The  general  subdivisions  of  the  Idea  are 
briefly  stated  as  follows : 

(1)  The  Design   of  the  Obgaxizattox. 

(2)  Purposes  josb  Objects  of  the  Oegani- 

ZATIOX. 

(3)  The  Foematfve  ;^L\G^'ET. 

(4)  Tools. 

(5)  Materials. 

The  new  organization  is  secret  for  the  fol- 
lowing reasons :  The  unlike  never  agrees  with 
the  unlike.  This  causes  antagonism  and  con- 
flict. The  early  followers  of  the  teachings  of 
the  Xazarene,  called  Christians,  were  compelled 
to  not  only  meet  in  secret,  but  to  keep  secret  the 
very  fact  that  they  believed  in  the  exalted  pre- 
cepts taught.    This  was  because  the  hordes  of 

*S€e  Note  (z)  Appendix. 

196 


RATIONALE  OF  THE  NEW 

Evil  vastly  outnumbered  them,  and  because 
the  Satanic  malice  of  the  opponents  of  Good 
stop  at  no  base  means  for  the  extermination 
of  that  which  it  so  fiercely  hates.  The  Good 
dislikes  Discord  and  is  in  love  with  Harmony. 
It  desires  to  go  its  way  in  peace,  therefore  it 
turns  from  the  Strife  and  Discord  which  its 
enemy  loves,  and  seeks  the  seclusion  of  its  own 
peaceful  communion. 

Again,  that  which  is  young  needs  to  be  ten- 
derly nurtured;  that  which  is  tender  needs  to 
be  carefully  protected  from  that  which  would 
destroy  it;  that  which  is  precious  should  be 
guarded  with  extreme  care ;  that  which  is  price- 
less should  not  be  sold. 

If  the  world's  wheat  supply  were  reduced  to 
but  a  handful  of  the  precious  grains,  how  care- 
fully would  they  be  nurtured,  protected,  and 
guarded  during  the  sowing  and  the  reaping  pro- 
cess until  such  time  as  there  were  again  seed 
sufficient  to  supply  the  wants  of  humanity.  The 
handful  of  grain  would  not  be  sown  out  in  the 
open  either  in  Fall  or  Spring,  but  it  would  be 
sown  under  cover  and  vigilently  watched  and 
tended  and  surrounded  with  every  safeguard 
to  enhance  its  development. 

There  are  other  reasons — scientific  reasons — 
which  are  given  to  those  interested. 

Thus  is  it  deemed  essential  that  the  Organi- 
zation for  the  propagation  of  the  new  Economic 
System  which  is  to  displace  the  old  competi- 

197 


METAMORPHOSE 

tive  system  be  such  as  will  render  it  practically 
imTilnerable  in  its  infancy  to  any  onslaught 
of  the  enemy,  should  any  be  made.  To  this  end, 
the  Organization  will,  in  its  infancy,  be  secret. 
As  it  grows  it  will  gain  power  and  command  in- 
creasing respect  even  from  its  enemy,  en- 
throned Greed.  After  a  time,  like  the  Chris- 
tians, it  can  throw  off  the  cloak  of  secrecy  and 
come  out  into  the  world  and  perform  its  work 
of  renovation  and  reformation. 

It  is  not  to  be  expected  that  that  which  is 
kept  secret  by  the  Organization  will  be  dis- 
closed by  publication.  It  is  sufficient  here  to 
give  the  Principles  on  which  the  New  System  is 
based  and  tell  each  person  sufficient  to  enable 
him  to  decide  whether  or  not  he  be  harmonious 
and  desirous  of  lending  his  support  and  thus 
become  affiliated  with  the  movement. 

Thus  the  Organization  will,  at  the  outset,  be 
a  secret  mutual  benefit  (not  insurance)  fra- 
ternity. The  work  of  establishing  branches  will 
be  directed  from  a  Center. 

The  Constitution  of  the  Fraternity  is  very 
brief.    It  is  as  follows: 

Do  FOR  OTHERS  THAT  WHICH  YOU  WOULD  HAVE 
OTHERS  DO  FOR  YOU. 

The  Organization  is  not  a  creature  of  man- 
made  law  any  more  than  is  Christianity  a  crea- 
ture of  man-made  law.  The  Organization  Is 
not  for  the  purpose  of  enthroning  a  few  indi- 
viduals as  "managers"  to  their  own  pecuniary 

198 


RATIONALE  OF  THE  NEW 

advantage.  Pure  mutuality  and  co-operation 
will  exist  in  the  Organization,  not  seeming  mu- 
tuality. It  is  an  Organization  of,  for,  and  by 
the  members. 

Its  general  purpose  is  a  grand  Federation 
ifor  World  Betterment.  Under  this  Federation, 
followers  of  all  creeds  and  religions  can  unite 
without  interfering  with  their  method  or 
manner  of  worship,  since  no  individual  is  re- 
quired to  renounce  his  religion  in  order  to  join 
his  fellowmen  for  mutual  benefit  derived 
through  compliance  with  Natural  Law. 

During  recent  years  there  has  sprung  up  a 
cult  having  numerous  branches,  called  New 
Thought,  which,  strange  as  it  may  seem,  de- 
votes its  time  to  the  study  of  old  thought.  In 
spite  of  the  fact  that  there  has  been  no  general 
head  to  the  movement  it  has  accomplished  a 
tremendous  amount  of  good  by  causing  thou- 
sands of  people  to  think  for  themselves.  The 
various  factions  of  the  New  Thought  movement 
may  find,  if  they  wish,  a  center  in  this  Feder- 
ation, as  can  all  persons  who  are  with  or  with- 
out church  or  creed.  In  fact,  each  individual 
who  is  interested  in  the  welfare  of  the  Eace, 
which  includes  his  posterity,  is  earnestly  in- 
vited to  join  the  Federation. 

The  Purposes  and  Objects  of  the  Organiza- 
tion may  be  briefly  stated  and  commented  upon 
as  follows : 

(1)       To     BAND     FRATERNALLY     TOGETHER     FOR 
199 


METAMORPHOSE 

MUTUAL  BENEFIT  AND  EXPANSION  ALL  ACCEPTABLE 
AND  WORTHY  PEESONS  WHO  ARE  IN  HARMONY  WITH 

THE  Principles  of  Truth,  Union  and  Equity. 

The  word  expansion  here  means  more  than 
the  expansion  of  the  Organization.  It  means 
expansion  on  the  part  of  each  individual  mem- 
ber ;  not  only  mentally  and  spiritually,  but  also 
in  his  usefulness  in  the  progress  of  the  Race. 
Each  local  Branch  will  receive  the  benefit  of 
lectures  from  pioneers  of  human  thought.  Those 
members  who  so  desire  may  also  have  the  ad- 
vantage of  what  will  be  the  foremost  Educa- 
tional Institution  in  the  world :  an  Educational 
System  which  teaches  how  to  discern  the  Causes 
which  produce  Effects.  The  road  to  true  Suc- 
cess will  be  pointed  out,  and  this  means  not 
only  financial  or  material  success,  but  also  men- 
tal and  spiritual  success. 

All  that  a  teacher  can  do  is  to  point  out  the 
way.  The  individual's  knowledge  depends  up- 
on his  own  mental  capacity.  The  Educational 
System  will  conduct  those  members,  who  so  de- 
sire, behind  the  scenes  of  the  passing  show  and 
teach  them  the  mysteries  of  its  illusions.  The 
brightest  perceptive  eye  will  glean  the  most 
knowledge. 

Members  who  attain  to  the  higher  degrees  of 
the  Order  will  be  given  the  key  which  will  un- 
lock all  mystery,  especially  that  which  is  mys- 
terious in  the  material  world.    A  ''mystery" 

200 


RATIONALE  OF  THE  NEW 

is  a  natural  condition  not  understood  by  the  in- 
dividual to  whom  it  appears  mysterious. 

It  has  been  demonstrated  that  if  people  really 
band  together  for  mutual  benefit  they  can  ac- 
complish it,  especially  if  they  be  guided  by  in- 
telligence. So  a  further  purpose  of  the  Organ- 
ization is  to  make  plain  to  the  individual  the 
power  that  lies  within  him,  and  give  him  a 
glimpse  of  the  ineffable  heights  that  he  can 
reach  during  his  earthly  manifestation.  The 
stronger  the  individual  member  becomes  men- 
tally, the  more  strength  he  imparts  to  the  Or- 
ganization. 

When  each  individual  member  of  an  Organi- 
zation joins  for  the  purpose  of  imparting 
strength  to  it,  he  unites  with  others  in  the  cre- 
ation of  an  Order  that  is  impregnable  'to  any 
assault  of  its  enemies,  and  thus  it  is  ever  pres- 
ent to  throw  its  protecting  arm  around  each 
loyal  member. 

Truth,  Union,  and  Equity  are  three  words 
of  tremendous  importance  to  any  Organization 
which  aspires  to  permanence.  The  mighty  sub- 
ject of  Truth  was  elucidated  to  a  certain  de- 
gree in  Chapter  VII.  Equity  is  the  child  of 
Natural  Union.    Union  is  discussed  later. 

(2)  To  TEACH  THE  BENEFITS  TO  BE  DERIVED 
THEOUGH     INTELLIGENT     AND     SYSTEMATIC   GiVING 

AND  Receiving  under  a  practical  application 
OF  the  Golden  Rule. 
If  one  will  observe  the  process  of  Giving  and 

201 


METAMORPHOSE 

Eeceiving  he  will  understand  that  the  act  of 
Giving  is  only  completed  by  the  act  of  Eeceiv- 
ing.  Here  we  perceive  the  Positive  and  Nega- 
tive elements,  or  the  Duality,  which  unite  for 
the  completion  of  the  operation.  It  is  a  natural 
process  governed  by  Natural  Law.  There  can 
be  no  Giving  without  its  complement,  Eeceiv- 
ing,  and  this  is  the  reason  why  one  cannot  give 
himself  anything.  There  is  no  possible  manner 
in  which  you  can  give  yourself  something  you 
already  have,  because  the  operation  of  Giving 
and  Receiving  would  be  incomplete. 

In  a  previous  chapter  we  briefly  called  atten- 
tion to  the  fact  that  Time  and  its  divisions  is 
that  with  which  we  record  that  which  is  done. 
"We  have  also  endeavored  to  make  plain  that 
the  application  of  Energy  is  necessary  to  Ac- 
complishment. The  application  of  Energy  is 
expressed  by  Motion,  therefore  ''Time"  and 
Motion  are  inseparable.  It  may  possibly  be  a 
little  clearer  if  we  state  that  it  is  Motion  that 
causes  the  Appearance  of  ''Time."  To  utilize 
the  ordinary  conception  of  "Time"  and  Motion 
we  may  say  that  any  motion  requires  a  certain 
amount  of  time.  Motion  is  of  infinite  variety 
of  duration  or  vibration.  Some  motions  are 
great,  some  small.  It  is  the  Earth's  regular 
motion  that  manufactures  our  "time."  Many 
smaller  motions  may  occur  while  the  Earth 
makes  one  complete  turn  on  its  axis.  We  com- 
pare the  smaller  motion  to  the  Earth's  motion 
when  we  say  *'it  takes  so  much  time."    So  the 


I 


RATIONALE  OF  THE  NEW 

student  will  probably  better  appreciate  the  re- 
lationship of  Time  and  Motion  by  the  simple 
statement  that  Motion  engenders  Time. 

The  Giving  and  Receiving  process  systema- 
tized is  a  manifestation  of  applied  Energy  or 
Motion,  and  therefore  a  certain  "time"  is 
necessarily  involved,  which  is  regulated  by  the 
operation. 

The  new  Economic  System  is  a  scientific  pro- 
cess of  Giving  and  Receiving  wherein  each  in- 
dividual participant  derives  regular  natural 
benefits  in  proportion  to  what  he  contributes, 
as  does  the  farmer  derive  the  increased  bene- 
fits of  the  harvest  in  accordance  with  his  sow- 
ing. 

It  has  been  said  that  "it  is  more  blessed  to 
give  than  to  receive,"  but  under  the  Competi- 
tive System  the  Divine  Truth  contained  in 
these  words  has  been  unappreciated  if  not  al- 
together overlooked.  We  have  already  demon- 
strated that  Greed  is  Evil.  Under  the  Law  of 
Opposites,  Giving  must  therefore  be  Good.  The 
gospel  of  Giving  has  never  been  noticably  im- 
pressed upon  the  human  consciousness,  because 
of  the  lack  of  a  Scientific  System  of  Giving, 
with  its  complement,  a  Scientific  System  of  Re- 
ceiving, which  amply  provides  for  the  wants 
of  each  individual.  If  one  would  continue  to 
give,  one  must  continue  to  receive. 

One  thing  is  certain,  the  problem  of  Poverty, 
or  inequitable  distribution  of  Surplus,  cannot 

203 


METAMORPHOSE 

be  solved  under  the  prevailing  principle  of 
Grab  or  Take,  which  is  the  principle  of  Greed. 
That  must  be  plain  to  every  person  who  is  not 
an  acknowledged  slave  to  Greed  and  Fear. 

If  Giving  is  Good  and  Greed  is  Evil,  we  may, 
under  the  mathematical  process,  substitute  as 
follows :  Be  not  overcome  of  Greed,  but  over- 
come Greed  with  Giving! 

The  rational  procedure  is  that  which  com- 
plies with  Truth.  In  this  connection  your  at- 
tention is  called  to  an  old  saw,  ''God  helps 
them  who  help  themselves. ' '  Many  of  these  old 
sayings  are  the  sophistries  of  Greed  and  do 
not  involve  Truth.  The  proper  way  to  convey 
the  idea  would  be:  God  helps  him  who  helps 
others. 

(3)  To  IMPRESS  UPON  MANKIND  THE  NECES- 
SITY OF  EECOGNIZING  THE  IMPORTANCE  OF  PROP- 
ERLY ANALYZING  AND  UTILIZING  PROGRESSIVE  IDEAS 
WHICH  ARE  THE  PIONEERS  OF  HUMAN  ADVANCE- 
MENT. 

The  new  ideas  that  come  to  the  individual 
members  of  the  race  are  the  precursors  of  Pro- 
gress. Without  new  ideas  there  would  be  no 
new  developments.  New  ideas  are  a  most  im- 
portant part  of  the  Operation  and  should  be 
treated  with  great  consideration. 

There  is  much  difference  in  the  individual 
mentalities  through  which  ideas  are  manifested, 
and  this  causes  various  grades  in  reference  to 
their  importance.     As  in  all  other  manifesta- 

204 


RATIONALE  OF  THE  NEW 

tions  in  Evolution,  the  Positive  and  Negative 
principles  apply  to  Ideas,  and  we  thus  find 
some  are  beneficent,  some  barbaric.  If  all  new 
ideas  were  good,  the  way  would  be  very  plain. 
Suppose  all  vegetation  were  palatable  and 
nourishing  to  mankind,  would  there  be  any  such 
thing  as  weeds? 

The  difference  we  see  manifested  in  the  veg- 
etable or  animal  kingdoms,  we  will  find  in  the 
Idea  kingdom,  hence  we  should  become  skilled 
in  cultivating  the  nourishing  varieties,  while 
we  weed  out  the  worthless  and  noxious  ones. 

Thus  is  the  Elimination  process  applied  to 
the  Race. 

*' Search  all  things,  hold  fast  to  that  which 
is  Good,"  is  Paul's  terse  wording  of  the  Prin- 
ciple. 

The  difficulty  one  encounters  is  just  how  to 
determine  which  is  good.  This  can  be  done  sci- 
entifically, and  the  process  is  taught  in  the  edu- 
cational department  of  the  Fraternity.  This  is 
one  of  the  most  important  functions  of  the  Or- 
ganization and  is  the  foundation  of  World  Bet- 
terment or  real  Progress. 

(4)  To  ACQUAINT  MOTHERHOOD  WITH  THE  SCI- 
ENTIFIC PRINCIPLES  OF  GENERATION,  WHICH  IN- 
CLUDE PRENATAL  MENTAL  INFLUENCES. 

If  there  is  any  advantage  in  a  knowledge  of 
the  sublime  Problem  of  Creation  or  Existence 
then  the  mothers  of  the  race  should  know.  Here- 
tofore men  have  seen  fit  to  confine  such  know- 

205 


METAMORPHOSE 

ledge  to  secret  organizations  from  which  wo- 
manhood was  excluded.  This  was  well,  per- 
haps, under  the  prevailing  conditions,  but  the 
time  has  now  come  for  a  movement  that  will 
admit  women  to  the  councils  and  deliberations 
on  the  noble  subject  of  Eace  Regeneration.  In 
fact,  they  should  now  be  installed  in  the  exalted 
position  they  were  created  to  occupy.  They 
should  be  surrounded  by  every  safeguard,  by 
every  strengthening  influence,  by  every  congen- 
ial environment,  which  will  tend  to  glorify  them 
and  consecrate  them  to  their  holy  office  of  Cus- 
todians of  the  Seed. 

The  new  Order  admits  women  to  member- 
ship on  an  equality  with  men,  and  they  are  en- 
titled to  all  the  rights  and  privileges  afforded 
in  either  the  Economic  or  Educational  depart- 
ments. 

(5)  To  EDUCATE  PEOPLE  GENERALLY  AS  TO  THE 
ADVISABILITY  OF  INTELLIGENTLY  ASSISTING  EACH 
OTHER,  AND  THUS  ATTAIN  BENEFITS  AND  ADVANCE- 
MENT HERE  AND  NOW,  INSTEAD  OF  BLINDLY  WAIT- 
ING FOR  THE  INDEFINITE  FUTURE. 

Nearly  all  the  established  organizations  of 
mutual  financial  benefit  are  for  the  purpose  of 
benefiting  those  who  follow  after  us.  Would  it 
not  be  far  better  for  us  to  adopt  a  plan  wherein 
the  manifestation  is  Now  instead  of  ''tomor- 
row?" This  would  also  benefit  those  who  fol- 
low after.  Why  not  establish  and  operate  a 
System  that  will  bring  benefits  to  the  living 

206 


I 


RATIONALE  OF  THE  NEW 

members  continuously?  Would  that  not  be  a 
wise  course  to  pursue? 

This  can  be  done  since  the  Idea,  complete  in 
every  detail,  has  been  evolved. 

Why  not  set  about  the  intelligent  accomplish- 
ment of  the  manifestation  of  the  Idea  and  de- 
rive the  benefits  that  will  of  necessity  accrue 
from  it?  If  you  join  with  those  who  are  al- 
ready united,  then  you  will  have  done  your 
share  toward  the  materialization  of  the  Idea. 

(6)  To  ESTABLISH  CO-OPERATIVE  MANUFACTUK- 
ING  INSTITUTIONS  AND  DISTEIBUTING  CENTERS  TO 
FURNISH   PRODUCTS   TO    MEMBERS   AT  ACTUAL   COST. 

This  feature  of  the  work  will  finally  solve  the 
question  of  public  ownership  and  will  gradually 
develop  into  a  system  similar  to  the  ideal  out- 
lined in  Bellamy's  Looking  Backward.  It  will 
also  do  away  with  barter  and  trade  for  "profit. " 

(7)  to  install  and  operate  an  intelligent 
Economic  System  having  for  its  object  the 

ABOLITION  of  PoVERTY. 

Every  intelligent  mind  must  admit  that  the 
great  Problem  of  Poverty  can  be  solved.  Fol- 
lowing this  it  must  admit  that  it  will  be  solved. 
Would  it  be  a  miracle  then,  if  the  solution  were 
at  hand? 

Let  us  banish  impotent  *' Impossible"  from 
our  minds.  It  has  held  sway  as  an  arbitrary 
ruler  long  enough.  We  are  Just  coming  into  the 
knowledge  that  we  are  born  with  the  inalienable 
birthright  of  Freedom.    We  can  now  perceive 

207 


METAMORPHOSE 

the  senility  and  incapacity  of  this  tyrant,  "Im- 
possible," by  becoming  conscious  of  our  own 
vigorous  young  manhood  and  guiding  Intellect. 
The  Race  has  just  reached  the  age  of  mental 
puberity ! 

When  we  note  the  great  Order  of  Things  that 
is  established,  and  then  look  about  us  and  see 
the  misery  and  crime  and  shame  spread  broad- 
cast over  the  land,  together  with  the  concen- 
tration of  mighty  hordes  of  Surplus  into  the 
hands  of  a  few,  must  we  not  admit  that  the  solu- 
tion of  the  great  Problem  is  due? 

We  cannot  vaguely  comprehend  the  multitu- 
dinous steps  in  the  evolution  of  the  Race,  but 
if  we  will  consider  all  things  carefully,  we  can, 
in  a  measure,  determine  the  proper  present 
course  to  pursue. 

The  details  of  the  Economic  System  are 
taught  within  the  Order.  We  can  say,  how- 
ever, that  it  involves  the  intelligent  and  equit- 
able distribution  of  Surplus  under  Natural  Law. 
As  you  sow,  so  shall  you  reap. 

The  System  also  involves  Saving  and  Utiliz- 
ing. 

(8)  To  ERADICATE  GrAFT,  WITH  ITS  GROSS  IN- 
justice and  attendant  depravity  from  our 
Government  and  from  Commercialism. 

"Graft"  as  we  have  come  to  know  it,  is  but 
the  fruit  of  Competition  and  Selfishness.  It  is 
based  on  Deception  and  disregard  for  the  rights 
and  welfare  of  others.    The  new  Economic  Sys- 

208 


RATIONALE  OF  THE  NEW 

tern  will  eradicate  Graft  because  it  will  supply 
all  of  the  benefits  now  obtained  through  Graft, 
multiplied  over  and  over  again.  To  complete 
the  reformation,  our  Educational  System  will 
make  plain  the  folly  of  the  present  wandering 
from  the  Truth.  The  day  will  come  when  the 
new  System  will  become  the  ''government"  as 
the  old  System  is  the  "government"  today. 

(9)  To  CHAMPION  ANY  LOGICAL  AND  FEASIBLE 
MOVEMENT  TENDING  TOWAED  WORLD  BETTERMENT. 

Such  a  noble  sentiment  as  that  should  alone 
be  sufficient  to  attract  ardent  support  from 
thousands  of  our  people.  It  is  not  necessary 
for  us  to  elucidate  that  Purpose.  It  furnishes 
its  own  light. 

Thus  we  have  endeavored  to  briefly  cover 
the  leading  Purposes  and  Objects  of  the  Organ- 
ization. 

The  Formative  Magnet  is  the  same  as  that 
which  forms  and  holds  together  any  or  all  of 
man's  institutions.  It  is  the  Thing  which  is 
responsible  for  the  gigantic  proportions  of  the 
great  Competitive  System.  It  is  that  whicii 
every  individual  is  seeking,  namely:  personal 
Advantage,  or  Profit. 

Man  is  ever  impelled  toward  that  tvhich  he 
desires. 

The  financial  or  material  profit  to  the  Race 
under  this  new  System  will  far  transcend  any- 
thing possible  under  the  old,  since  proper  con- 
formity to  Natural  Law  of  a  certainty  brings 

209 


METAMORPHOSE 

greater  benefits  than  does  its  violation.  That 
must  appeal  to  you  as  self-evident. 

The  profit  or  benefit  to  the  individual  mem- 
ber should  supply  all  of  his  material  wants  as 
soon  as  he  has  performed  his  part  of  the  service. 
To  state  it  even  more  plainly: 

It  is  possible,  under  the  new  System,  for  each 
individual  member  of  the  Organization  to  es- 
tablish for  himself  a  permanent  monthly,  quar- 
terly, or  yearly  income  which  he  can  adjust  to 
his  individual  requirements,  and  thus  render 
himself  independent  of  the  old  grabbing  pro- 
cess commonly  called  "legitimate  business." 

It  will  not  be  many  decades  before  the  in- 
ventive genius  of  man  will  have  practically 
done  away  with  manual  labor  through  the  in- 
vention and  utility  of  marvelous  labor-saving 
machinery.  This  alone  would  necessitate  some 
plan  different  from  and  superior  to  the  pres- 
ent one  for  the  proper  maintenance  of  millions 
of  individuals  who  will  then  be  out  of  em- 
ployment. They  would  not  desire  to  become 
dependent  upon  sympathetic  alms  giving  from 
fortunate  proprietors,  nor  would  the  ''owners" 
of  the  machinery  and  property  of  the  country 
be  apt  to  desire  to  be  burdened  with  the  sup- 
port of  several  million  non-workers.  There- 
fore, the  plan  which  will  solve  the  problem  must 
be  such  that  each  and  every  individual  can  par- 
ticipate, perform  his  share,  and  reap  the  har- 
vest of  his  own  sowing,  and  thus  become  more 

210 


RATIONALE  OF  THE  NEW 
independent  than  is  possible  even  under  the 
Competitive  System. 

The  new  System  should  be  so  devised  that 
it  would  be  impossible  for  any  individual  or  set 
of  individuals  to  manipulate  it  to  their  own 
selfish  advantage  and  thus  to  the  consequent 
disadvantage  of  others,  as  the  Competitive  Sys- 
tem can  be  manipulated  today.  The  new  Sys- 
tem should  be  such  as  to  remove  all  incentive 
for  selfish  manipulation  on  the  part  of  any  of- 
ficer or  member.  In  other  words,  it  should  be 
self -regulating,  and  should  bestow  on  each  and 
every  individual  member  the  exact  proportion- 
ate benefits  to  which  he  is  entitled. 

The  new  Economic  System  is  so  self-regulat- 
ing. 

Those  who  have  already  lifted  their  eyes 
from  off  the  ground  and  partaken  of  some  of 
those  delicious  morsels  that  Jesus  referred  to 
when  he  said,  *'I  have  meat  to  eat  you  know 
not  of,"  will  find  that  the  new  Organization 
will  supply  them  with  ample  sustenance  of  like 
nature. 

Thus  we  have  briefly  outlined  the  nature  of 
the  Formative  Magnet. 

The  Tools  of  the  building  will  be  those  good 
souls  who  are  willing  to  work  and  teach  and 
build  the  Organization  because  it  is  Good. 
"^^Tlien  they  see  the  Light  they  will  be  unable 
to  do  otherwise  than  to  follow  it.  This  is  be- 
cause of  the  inherent  Good  that  has  its  dwelling 
place  within  them. 

211 


METAMORPHOSE 

The  MATER^y:.  of  the  Structure  will  be  those 
individuals  who  are  endowed  with  a  conscious- 
ness that  can  perceive  the  Truth  and  are  willing 
to  be  governed  by  it ;  those  who  prefer  Good  to 
Evil ;  those  who  can  look  beyond  their  own  nar- 
row horizon;  those  who  are  satiated  with  the 
Old  and  long  for  the  New, 

Thus  the  herald  proclaims  the  dawn  of  that 
blessed  Millenium  which  has  vaguely  existed 
as  an  intangible  Idea  to  the  Race  consciousness 
throughout  all  the  darkness  of  the  long  incu- 
bation period. 

If  the  conditions  existing  in  the  fabled  Gold- 
en Age  can  be  conceived  in  the  mind  of  man  as 
a  definite  Idea,  he  can  attain  unto  those  condi- 
tions ! 

The  motto  of  the  new  Order  is :  What  Man 
Can  Conceive,  Man  Can  Achieve. 

The  Change  is  at  hand! 

"Ring  out  old  shapes  of  foul  disease, 

Ring  out  the  narrowing  lust  of  gold; 
Ring  out  the  thousand  wars  of  old, 
Ring  in  the  thousand  years  of  Peace. 

**Ring  in  the  valiant  man  and  free. 

The  larger  heart,   the   kinfllier  hand; 
Ring  out  the  darkness  of  the  land, 
Eing  in  the  Christ  that  is  to  be." — Tennyson. 


CHAPTER  XIII 

Memorabilia 

** Men's  hearts  ought  not  to  be  set  against 
one  another,  but  set  with  one  another,  and  all 
against  the  evil  thing  only." — Carlyle. 

It  is  fitting  that  the  most  important  thing 
to  be  considered  should  come  last  so  that  its 
impression  will  dwell  longer  in  the  conscious- 
ness. 

The  theme  of  this  Chapter  is  vital  as  it  per- 
tains to  the  Law,  and  supremely  important  as 
relating  to  man's  conduct  if  he  desires  to  reap 
the  benefits  of  the  new  System.  In  Chapter  IV. 
you  will  find  an  axiom  which  reads  as  follows : 

Harmonious  Union  or  Natural  Union  can  ex- 
ist only  when  each  atom  works  for  all  and  all 
for  each. 

"Do  to  others"  is  contained  in  ''each  atom 
works  for  all,"  and  "what  others  do  to  you" 
is  contained  in  the  words  "all  for  each." 

Thus  Natural  Union  is  the  divine  apparel 
with  which  a  practical  application  of  the  Gold- 
en Rule  is  clothed. 

The  existing  condition  in  the  human  race  is 
one  of  sordid  conflict  for  material  gain.  Rag- 
ing and  seething  discord  prevails.  It  is  the 
condition  so  aptly  characterized  and  stigma- 
tized by  Daniel  Webster  in  his  inspired  reply 
to  Hayne  as  "dissevered,  discordant,  belliger- 
ent." 

In  the  midst  of  this  turmoil  the  sweet  spirit 

213 


METAMORPHOSE 

of  Harmon}^  now  appears  and  with  voice  full, 
clear,  and  resonant  calls  to  the  masses  of  crawl- 
ing, squirming,  struggling  individuals,  "Peace! 
Peace !  Cease  your  murder,  cease  your  spolia- 
tion! Your  atonement  is  finished,  your  re- 
demption is  at  hand!  Let  your  follies  lie  in 
the  past.    Go  and  sin  no  more." 

It  is  essential  that  the  true  meaning  of  Union 
be  understood  by  each  individual.  Union  does 
not  mean  a  congregation  here  and  a  gathering 
there,  with  each  separate  association  in  com- 
petition with  the  others.  True  Union  means 
uniting  all  the  parts  as  one.  The  Race  should 
be  united. 

This  new  Federation  involves  not  only  the 
idea  of  uniting  our  own  people,  but  it  contem- 
plates the  eventual  unity  of  the  Nations  of  the 
world.  It  has  for  its  aim  a  grand  brotherhood 
of  man.  Thus  will  war  cease.  United  under 
one  symbol  and  with  one  grand  purpose  in 
view,  the  individuals  of  the  race  will  pursue 
their  majestic  course  onward  and  upward  to  a 
transcendant  goal  which  ever  recedes  as  they 
advance,  but  ever  filling  them  with  helpful  As- 
piration, until  the  Law  be  fulfilled.  That  is  a 
part  of  the  sublime  Operation  and  it  should  fill 
us  with  joy  and  peace  and  happiness,  and  each 
moment  should  find  us  faithfully  performing 
our  duty  to  the  Father.  There  is  then  a 
blessed  exhilaration  in  living  which  causes  us 
to  see  the  good  and  beautiful  in  everything. 
Our  soul  is  filled  with  music,  our  eye  full    of 

214 


I 


MEMORABILIA 

light,  our  mind  full  of  blessed  peace  when  we 
come  into  the  fullness  of  life!  That  is  the 
heritage  we  ignorantly  abandoned. 

Union  cannot  be  accomplished  by  the  organi- 
zation of  various  independent  societies  or  asso- 
ciations in  imitation  of  the  Golden  Rule  Frater- 
nity for  the  purpose  of  competing  with  the  par- 
ent organization  or  with  themselves.  For  men 
would  thus  revert  to  the  old  condition,  and  the 
onward  march  of  the  Race  would  be  impeded. 

In  this  new  Organization  there  is  plenty  for 
all,  and  there  is  no  necessity  whatever  for  the 
organization  of  more  than  one  federation.  It 
seems  superfluous  to  say  anything  so  self-evi- 
dent, but  the  enemy  will  resort  to  any  means 
to  mislead  the  people,  hence  this  admonition. 

Everywhere  in  Nature  we  find  manifested 
the  Principle  of  Union.  By  means  of  Union 
man  erects  his  dwellings.  By  means  of  Union 
the  tree  brings  forth  its  fruit.  It  is  the  Union 
of  our  senses  that  enables  us  to  comprehend. 
The  Cosmos  itself  is  a  glorious  Union  of  Di- 
vine Essences.  Webster  conceived  the  grand 
truth  that  Freedom  is  the  glorious  fruit  of  Nat- 
ural Union.  He  exclaimed,  "Liberty  and 
Union,  now  and  forever,  one  and  inseparable ! ' ' 

It  is  then  important  that  we  perceive  that 
the  duty  of  each  lies  in  his  Natural  Union  with 
his  fellowmen,  each  striving  to  do  what  he  can 
for  others.  We  should  do  our  work  with  joy- 
ous goodwill.  We  should  impregnate  the  soil 
with  our  Universal  Love.    We  should  aid  the 

215 


METAMORPHOSE 

very  seed  in  the  ground  with  our  helpful 
thought  vibration.  This  would  bless  our  bread 
even  in  its  making! 

All  of  our  suffering  has  been  caused  by  our 
ignorant  rebellion  against  the  Law.  We  have 
been  out  of  tune,  out  of  harmony  with  the  Nat- 
ural Order  of  Things.    Let  us  get  in  tune. 

When  the  spirit  of  discord  or  dissension  af- 
flicts us  with  its  soul-destroying  presence,  let 
us  make  a  mixture  after  the  following  formula 
and  partake  of  it  freely: 

Philosophy     4  parts 

Patience     2  parts 

Consideration    2  parts 

Universal   Love    4  parts 

Silence    12  parts 

Mix. 

Take  a  tablespoonful  in  a  glass  of  milk  of 
human  kindness  every  time  you  feel  that  dis- 
satisfied feeling  coming  on.  More  if  necessary. 
Even  excessive  use  can  produce  no  injurious 
effects.  On  the  contrary,  large  doses  are  ex- 
ceedingly exhilarating  and  beneficial. 

"I  sent  my  soul  through  the  invisible, 
Some  lesson  of  that  after  life  to  spell; 

And  by  and  by  my  soul  returned  to  me 

And  answered,  'I,  myself,  am  Heaven  and  Hell.'  " 

Thanks  to  the  wonderful  creative  faculties 
of  man  for  the  printing  press  and  its  accessor- 
ies, ideas  and  thoughts  can  be  disseminated 
throughout  the  length  and  breadth  of  the  land, 
though  the  voice  be  dumb.  Kindred  souls 
catch  up  the  joyous  Song  of  Progress  and  swell 

216 


MEMORABILIA 

the  glad  refrain,  "Peace  on  Earth,  Good-will 
Toward  Men," 

It  takes  long  to  awaken  the  sleeping  giant, 
Mankind;  it  requires  many  prods  and  pinches 
and  shakings  before  he  comes  clearly  into  his 
waking  consciousness,  but  there  will  be  an 
awakening — a  glorious  awakening — and  he 
will  recognize  his  absolute  dominion  over 
Earth,  and  will  become  master  of  him- 
self and  of  conditions.  Then  truly  ''shall 
the  desert  be  made  to  blossom  as  the 
rose."  Then  will  strife  and  contention  with 
its  attendant  slavery  no  longer  find  lodging 
place  here,  and  the  Earth  beautiful  will  become 
a  paradise  of  Harmony  and  Good-will. 

Let  us  thank  the  good  Father  that  he  has 
endowed  us  with  a  consciousness  that  can  com- 
prehend the  great  duty  we  owe  our  fellowmen. 

''Blessed  art  thou,  0  Father,  thy  man  would 
he  sanctified  with  thee,  as  thou  hast  given  him 
all  power.' ^ 


CONCLUSION 

"Heaekbn;  Behold,  there  went  out  a  sow- 
er TO  sow : 

"And  it  came  to  pass,  as  he  sowed,  some  fell 

BY  the  wayside,  AND  THE  FOWLS  OF  THE  AIR  CAME 

and  devoured  it  up. 

''And  some  fell  on  stony  ground  where  it 

HAD     NOT     much     EARTH;     AND     IMMEDIATELY   IT 

SPRANG  UP,  BECAUSE  IT  HAD  NO  DEPTH OF  EARTH  : 

"But  WHEN  THE  SUN  WAS  UP,  IT  WAS 
SCORCHED ;  AND  BECAUSE  IT  HAD  NO  ROOT  IT  WITH- 
ERED AWAY. 

"And  SOME   fell  among  thorns,  and   the 

THORNS  GREW  UP,  AND  CHOKED  IT,  AND  IT  YIELDED 
NO  FRUIT. 

"And  other  fell  on  good  ground,  and  did 
yield  fruit  that  sprang  up  and  increased ;  and 
brought  forth  fruit,  some  thirty,  some  sixty 
and  some  an  hundred. 

"And    HE    SAID    UNTO    THEM,    He    THAT    HATH 


218 


A  P  PE  N  D  I  X 


INTRODUCTION 
Speech 

(a)  Speech  is  the  medium  of  thought  convey- 
ance; it  is  made  up  of  various  parts  called  words 
and,  like  any  other  structure,  some  of  the  parts  are 
of  more  importance  than  others.  This  is  better  real- 
ized when  we  thoroughly  understand  that  the  words 
themselves  are  of  no  importance,  save  as  they  rep- 
resent an  idea.  Considering  them  in  this  light  we 
are  able  to  realize  the  necessity  of  thoroughly  un- 
derstanding the  import  of  each  word  we  use. 

Capitals  are  unsparingly  used  in  this  book  for 
personification  and  extra  emphasis,  as  are  italics, 
and  heavy-faced  type.  The  object  being  to  set  forth 
the  ideas  as  distinctly  as  possible.  Quotation  marks 
are  used  freely  to  particularize,  and  to  call  par- 
ticular attention  to  the  thing  or  condition  the  word 
represents,  and  not  the  general  hazy  idea  a  word 
of  common  usage  usually  conveys  even  to  the 
thoughtful. 

Fear 

(b)  The  individual's  ignorance  of  his  true  posi- 
tion in  the  great  Order  of  Things  causes  him  to 
have  an  exalted  idea  of  his  own  personal  import- 
ance.    This,  coupled  with  his  ignorance  of  the  real 

219 


METAMORPHOSE 

meaning  of  the  great  Law  of  Compensation,  renders 
him  inordinately  selfish.  Thus  Selfishness  is  the 
firstborn  of  Ignorance. 

Fear  is  the  direct  offspring  of  Selfishness,  since 
Fear  is  purely  personal,  and  we  are  never  fright- 
ened at  anything  we  understand  or  know.  We  fear 
the  creatures  of  our  own  fancy  or  imagination. 
Fear,  then,  is  the  child  of  Selfishness  and  the  grand- 
child of  Ignorance. 

CHAPTER  I 

The  Procurator 

(c)  Actual  instances  have  been  called  to  our 
attention  where  pure  young  women,  under  dire  ne- 
cessity for  wherewithal  to  support  themselves  and 
perhaps  a  widowed  mother,  have  sought  employ- 
ment in  one  of  these  modern  establishments  and 
have  been  offensively  insulted  as  follows:  Upon 
learning  that  the  wages  were  but  three  or  four  dol- 
lars per  week,  they  have  asked  how  they  were  ex- 
pected  to  support  themselves  on  that  meager  pit- 
tance. They  were  answered  by  the  manager  to  the 
effect  that  a  nice  looking  young  woman  has  no 
trouble  in  finding  some  "gentleman"  who  is  will- 
ing to  pay  for  her  room  and  board. 

Every  sense  of  honor,  every  humanitarian  in- 
stinct, is  sacrificed  on  the  alter  of  the  modern  idol, 
Material  Gain!  All  respect  for  pure  and  noble 
motherhood  is  smothered  in  the  sordid  desire  for 
"Dividends!" 

Suspicion 

(d)  Suspicion  differs  from  Fear. 
"Suspicion   always  haunts  the  gT^iIty  mind; 

The  thief  doth  fear  each  busii  an  officer." 

The  suspicious  mind  fears  that  it  will  find  in  others 
220 


APPENDIX 

the  qualities  inherent  in  itself.  Where  does  Sus- 
picion dwell?  On  what  does  it  feed?  Is  the  ob- 
ject at  which  it  is  directed  in  any  manner  to  blame 
for  it?  Suspicion  comes  from  within,  not  from 
without.  Suspicion  has  no  place  in  either  an  in- 
telligent or  a  pure  mind.  If  one  knows  there  can 
then  be  no  suspicion.  If  one  does  not  know,  then  it 
is  well  to  acquire  proper  knowledge  before  he  forms 
his  "opinion." 

(e)  CONQUEST 

Before  the  gates,  like  Tamerlane,  we  stand 

And  view  with  pride  our  pyramid  of  skulls: 

Each  skull  the  relic  of  some  ruined  life, 

The  ghastly  trophy  which  our  hand  has  raised 

Before  our  eyes  to  mark  how  on  a  time 

We  took  our  brother  by  the  throat,  and  there 

Did  wrest  away  the  savings  of  a  life. 

The  heritage  he  builded  for  his  age 

In  mingled  blood  and  tears.   The  gleaming  ax 

Wherewith  we  slew  him,  glitters  in  the  sun. 

This  is  our  boast;  the  Providence  that  built 

These  puny  frames  put  sinews  into  ours 

And  shrewder  brain  than  e'er  our  brother  had — 

Put  in  our  hand  the  irresistible 

And  conq'ring  ax  our  slower  brother's  head 

Can  never  turn  aside.    The  swift  blow  falls, 

And  o'er  the  dead  exultantly  we  bend 

And  from  cold  hands  triumphant  rend  away 

The  meager  purse  we  do  not  even  need. 

No  silent  pity  fills  our  cruel  heart; 
No  sweet  desire  magnanimous  that  he 
May  sit  secure  beneath  his  humble  roof 
Nor  fear  the  vandal's  thunder  at  his  door. 

221 


METAMORPHOSE 

No  calm  content  when  Fortune  from  her  store 
Heaps  over  us  a  hundred-fold  the  wealth 
Which  we,  though  living  for  ten  thousand  years, 
Might  never  reckon  nor  appreciate. 

Ours  is  the  dark,  insatiable  soul 

Of  some  black  Vampire,  tearing  at  the  throat. 

And,   though   full-gorged   with   the   poor   Victim's 

blood, 
Goes  searching  deeper  in  the  broken  heart. 

The  widow's  mite,  the  pittance  hidden  deep 
O'er  which  dim  eyes  and  labor-knotted  hands 
Hang  anxiously,  we  sudden  wrest  away — 
And  add  another  to  our  heap  of  skulls. 

The  slinking  thief  that  prowls  the  darkened  street, 
We  view^  with  scorn  and  loftiest  contempt ; 
Then  in  our  might  we  swing  our  cruel  ax 
And  blast  the  life  of  someone — for  a  coin! 

A  mighty  fortune  builded  on  the  wrecks 
Of  ruined  homes.    An  edifice  whose  walls 
Were  reared  in  groans;  and  with  its  mortar  mixed 
The  blood  of  thousands  slaughtered — for  a  coin ! 

Behold  us  there,  a  modern  Tamerlane 
Before  the  gate!     Oh,  weaker  ones  of  earth. 
Our  ax  is  keen ;  our  brain  is  stronger ;  and — • 
Bow  to  the  stroke — we  need  another  skull! 

— Lowell  Otus  Reese. 

"Government" 

(f)  We  wish  to  make  a  distinction  between  our 
Government  and  the  "Government" — between  the 
genuine  and  the  spurious. 

222 


APPENDIX 

The  original  idea  of  the  humane  founders  of  our 
Government  was  that  the  people  should  have  a  voice 
in  the  affairs  of  the  commonwealth.  The  idea  was 
recognized  and  voiced  by  the  faithful  Lincoln  in 
the  words  "Of  the  people,  by  the  people,  and  for 
the  people."  This  idea  of  our  Government  is  the 
real  Government  of  which  we  are  so  proud  and 
which  every  true  American  honors,  and  it  is  sym- 
bolized by  the  Stars  and  Stripes! 

But  alas,  that  glorious  Government  has  been  ig- 
nomineously  overthrown  and  in  its  place,  masquer- 
ading in  its  stately  robes  and  assuming  its  name,  is 
a  grasping,  grinding,  plundering  tyrant.  This  is  the 
"Government"  as  it  really  is,  and  when  the  quo- 
tation marks  are  used  herein  with  "Government" 
it  is  for  the  purpose  of  pulling  aside  the  mask  for 
the  moment  and  exposing  to  view  the  brutal,  men- 
acing, greedy  face  concealed. 

A  taste  of  temporal  power  is  usually  intoxicat- 
ing. The  child  of  greed  elected  to  "office"  soon 
learns  of  the  perquisites — modernized  into  "graft" 
—attached  to  power.  During  the  past  thirty  years 
there  has  been  a  constant  tendency  toward  the 
usurpation  of  power  on  the  part  of  those  whom  the 
people  elect  to  office,  until  now  the  officials  them- 
selves practically  dictate  who  shall  be  nominated 
and  elected  to  office,  and  added  to  this  we  find  that 
Absolutism  now  exists  in  the  "land  of  the  free  and 
the  home  of  the  brave!"  And  the  officials  arro- 
gantly inquire  "what  are  you  going  to  do  about  it?" 

What  are  you  going  to  do  about  it,  Mr.  Freeborn 
American  ? 

Remember  that  Judges  are  as  much  officials  as 
are  legislators  and  mayors  and  councilmen!  Keep 
your  eye  on  them,  as  they  are  the  real  power  and 
the  real  menace  of  your  liberty.    One  "decision" 

223 


METAMORPHOSE 

might  consign  the  people  to  bondage  for  two  gen- 
erations— or  until  it  be  * '  reversed. ' '  Delusory  *  *  pre- 
cedent" is  used  by  them  to  conceal  either  their  ig- 
norance or  their  depravity.  Watch  them  closely — 
they  will  bear  it ! 

CHAPTER  II 
Expiring  Competition 

(g)  To  show  the  trend  of  human  thought  on  the 
subject,  we  append  the  following  editorial  from  a 
leading  daily  newspaper.  This  editorial  was  written 
about  two  years  prior  to  the  publication  of  this 
volume,  and  in  it  the  editor  hazards  a  rough  guess 
that  the  remedy  will  be  found  in  government  own- 
ership, although  he  offers  no  reason  why  that  would 
produce  an  equitable  distribution  of  Surplus.  Neither 
does  he  attempt  to  show  how  government  owner- 
ship would  satiate  men's  desire  for  material  wealth 
and  thus  put  a  stop  to  the  present  economic  war- 
fare. The  editorial,  however,  is  rich  in  thought 
and  pertinent  suggestion: 

Will  the  Competitive  System  Ever  be  Done  Away 
With? 

The  other  day  there  died  in  this  city  a  laboring  man,  45 
years  of  age,  who  left  behind  him  a  widow  and  eight  chil- 
dren. He  had  worked  hard  all  his  life,  but  with  so  many 
children  to  bring  up  it  is  little  wonder  that  he  saved  nothing. 
The  family  are  now  facing  the  problem  of  keeping  them- 
selves alive. 

One  girl,  the  eldest  child,  is  18  years  of  age,  and  has 
been  working  in  a  factory  for  three  years.  The  next  is  a 
boy,  15  years  old,  and  he,  also,  brings  in  a  little  money. 
The  rest  are  too  young  to  work,  and  the  mother  must  give 
all  her  attention  to  the  six  that  stay  at  home.  What  money 
the  two  eldest  earn  is  not  enough  to  support  eight  people. 

There  is  nothing  extraordinary  in  this  case.  Since  the 
224 


APPENDIX 

days  of  the  patriarchs  the  widow  and  the  fatherless  have 
been  left  destitute  and  recommended  to  the  pity  of  the 
world.  Neither  is  this  a  plea  for  alms.  The  family  thus 
deprived  of  its  breadwinner  has  a  proud  spirit  and  would 
not  accept  the  bread  of  beggary.  But  does  it  not  seem  clear 
that  something  is  wrong  when  poverty  of  this  sort  can  be 
upon  the  earth! 

If  it  30  happened  that  the  earth  were  too  poor  to  main- 
tain all  the  people  on  it  there  would  be  no  difficulty  in 
understanding  that  some  must  go  hungry.  But  the  earth 
yields  far  more  than  enough  to  feed  the  whole  human  race 
and  have  plenty  to  spare.  The  fault  lies  not  in  the  scarcity 
of  food,  but  in  the  system  by  which  wealth — which  is  only 
another  name  for  food  and  the  comforts  of  life — is  dis- 
tributed, A  system  which  enables  one  man  to  accumulate 
ten  million  times  more  wealth  than  he  can  possibly  use, 
either  for  himself  or  his  children,  and  which  at  the  same 
time  keeps  another  man,  in  spite  of  constant  toiling  and 
stinting,  at  the  very  border  of  starvation,  is  defective,  to 
say  the  least. 

To  diagnose  the  disease  is,  of  course,  a  good  deal  easier 
than  to  prescribe  a  specific  remedy.  Many  doctors  have 
spent  their  learning  and  eloquence  on  describing  the  trou- 
bles and  sufferings  of  their  patient,  but  most  have  neglected 
to  tell  how  to  bring  about  a  cure.  Some  have  proposed  local 
remedies,  such  as  high  or  low  tariffs,  but  these  have  been 
only  half-way  measures,  giving  temporary  and  partial  relief, 
directed  against  symptoms  rather  than  causes,  and  doing  as 
much  harm  as  good  in  the  long  run,  while  the  disease  is 
constitutional  and  requires  radical,  heroic  treatment. 

Doctrinaires  and  theorists  by  the  thousand  there  are  with 
various  nostrums,  but  the  practical  philosopher,  who  alone 
will  be  able  to  solve  the  problem,  is  too  wise  to  hazard  as 
yet  any  definite  scheme  for  doing  away  with  poverty.  He 
is  aware  that  law  will  never  put  all  men  on  an  equality,  for 
nature  has  seen  fit  to  make  them  unequal;  to  give  to  some 
more  brains,  more  muscle,  more  power  than  to  others.  He 
is  aware  that  law  will  not  make  bad  men  good,  convert 
selfishness  into  brotherly  love,  eliminate  greed  and  passion 
from  human  nature,  and  lie  is  aware,  finally,  that  no  system 
of  society  or  government  will  work  perfectly  in  practice. (?) 

But  there  must  be  some  practical  system  which  will  be 
an  improvement  on  the  present  competitive  system.     Most 

225 


METAMORPHOSE 

of  the  evils  of  the  times  can  be  traced  directly  to  the  com- 
petitive system.  Competition  is  not  a  necessary  evil,  as 
the  trusts  have  demonstrated  by  kindly  abolishing  competi- 
tion and  still  thriving. 

Probably  the  remedy  will  come  in  the  shape  of  govern- 
ment ownership  of  railroads,  telegraph  lines  and  other  com- 
mon carriers,  and  government  monopoly  of  the  necessary 
foodstuffs,  such  as  meat  and  sugar.  Long  will  be  the  debate 
before  we  rid  ourselves  of  the  costly  competitive  system. 
Old  prejudices  are  not  uprooted  in  a  day,  and  even  the 
practical  lesson  in  communism  given  us  by  the  trusts  will 
not  be  taken  to  heart  for  many  years.  The  thing  to  do  is 
for  each  thoughtful  man  to  prepare  for  the  change  by  study- 
ing the  subject  and  persuading  his  neighbor  to  study  it. 
There  is  a  bloodless  revolution  afoot  right  now,  as  any 
man  can  see  that  reads  the  signs  of  the  times  and  looks 
ahead  further  than  the  next  payday.— The  Bulletin,  San 
Francisco,  Cal. 

CHAPTER  IV 

Brands  of  Money 

(h)  In  this  .work  we  have  particular  reference 
to  United  States  "money."  Since  "money"  is  a 
creature  of  law,  each  Government  manufactures  its 
own  particular  brand. 

CHAPTER  V 

Bank  Reserve 

(i)  The  total  bank  deposits  are  approximately 
$12,000,000,000.  The  banks  have  about  $1,000,000.- 
000  on  hand.  These  figures  include  all  of  the  banks 
and  trust  companies.  Take  the  institutions  as  a 
whole,  if  called  upon  to  return  all  the  deposits  at 
once,  as  they  have  agreed  to  do  on  demand,  they 
could  pay  about  eight  cents  on  the  dollar.  The  idle 
money  is  an  evil,  and  the  inability  to  pay  is  weak- 
ness. Is  the  system  good  and  strong?  By  what  pro- 
cess of  reasoning  do  bankers  assume  to  pose  as  finan- 

226 


APPENDIX 

cial  lighthouses?    Why  is  their  financial  advice  held 
in  such  profound  reverence  by  the  average  person? 

CHAPTER  VI 
Floating  Population 

(j)  At  Los  Angeles,  Cal.,  the  huge  visitors'  reg- 
isters in  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  contain  over 
two  million,  two  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  (2,250,- 
000)  names,  while  the  population  of  Los  Angeles  at 
the  present  time  (1905)  is  but  two  hundred  thou- 
sand (200,000) ;  still  only  a  fraction  of  the  transients 
registered. 

CHAPTER  VII 
Looking  Upward 

(k)  The  general  subject  treated  in  this  work  per- 
tains to  the  physical  and  not  the  metaphysical,  but 
since  the  same  Laws  govern  in  the  physical,  mental, 
and  spiritual  planes  of  existence,  no  harm  will  be 
done  if  we  occasionally  lay  aside  yard-sticks  and 
peck  measures  and  lift  our  eyes  above  the  material. 

CHAPTER  VIII 

Accounting  of  U.  S.  Money 

(1)  There  has  been  no  actual  accounting  of  U. 
S.  Money  for  a  third  of  a  century.  The  previous 
accounting  showed  that  the  estimate  of  the  Comp- 
troller of  the  Currency  was  largely  in  excess  of  the 
actual  volume  of  Money,  The  Comptroller  has  no 
means  of  knowing  of  the  Money  that  is  lost  or  de- 
stroyed; the  gold  coin  that  is  melted  for  .jewelry 
and  other  purposes ;  or  the  coin  that  is  carried  abroad 
by  individuals  and  there  melted  and  recoined  into 
foreign  money.  The  latest  report  of  the  Comptroller 
states  that  there  are  about  3.000,000,00  of  United 

227 


METAMORPHOSE 

States  dollars  (representations  of  the  unit)  in  exist- 
ence. The  number  of  dollars  actually  in  possession 
of  the  people  from  day  to  day  is  probably  not  in 
excess  of  $5,00  each  for  every  man,  woman  and 
child,  making  a  total  of  perhaps  $400,000,000. 

Roosevelt's  Idea 

(m)  Here  is  some  thought  food  for  those  who 
believe  that  ** nothing  happens  by  chance."  The 
editorial  in  the  Evening  Telegram  of  August  29, 
1902,  quoted  in  full  in  Chapter  VIII.,  was  succeeded 
by  the  following  editorial,  also  quoted  entire: 

"The  President  (Roosevelt)  uttered  a  whole  ser- 
mon yesterday  in  these  sentences: 

"  'The  growth  of  great  cities  and  of  individual 
and  corporate  fortunes — the  tendency  in  great  cities 
to  divide  men  into  groups  and  classes — naturally 
diminishes  the  realization  of  that  essential  under- 
lying brotherhood  which  ought  to  be  deep  in  the 
heart  of  every  American.  Looking  into  the  mists 
of  the  future,  we  see  dark  problems  looming  up  be- 
fore us.  We  can  solve  these  problems  aright  only 
if  we  keep  constantly  in  mind  that  each  must  work 
for  all  and  all  for  each.  In  other  words,  we  need  to 
feel  in  our  being  the  sense  of  brotherhood.'  " 

Is  it  not  fascinating  to  watch  the  effect  of  the 
vibrations  of  Universal  Thought  on  different  men- 
talities? How  closely  related  is  the  idea  of  the 
President  with  that  of  his  Secretary,  and  yet  how 
differently  expressed!  Each  sees  an  evil.  One 
says  "leave  it  alone,  we  are  too  weak  to  remedy 
it";  the  other  says  "something  must  be  done,  and 
the  only  way  to  do  it  is  to  realize  our  full  duty  to 
each  other." 

Contemplate  these  two  editorials  in  connection 
with  the  text  of  this  book. 

228 


APPENDIX 

CHAPTER  IX 

Machinery 

(n)  The  present  machinery  in  the  United  States 
can  perform  ten  times  the  amount  of  labor  in  the 
same  length  of  time  as  could  be  accomplished  by 
the  entire  hand  labor  of  the  world !  How  long  will 
it  be  before  machinery  will  do  practically  all  the 
work  now  done  by  hand? 

Judges  and  Justice 

(o)  We  must  remember  that  Judges,  no  matter 
of  what  Court,  are  merely  men,  and  their  intelli- 
gence is  distinctively  human  and  in  no  way  is  in  ad- 
vance of  the  age  as  exampled  by  their  mistakes. 
Lawyers  in  private  conversation  often  refer  to  the 
Supreme  Court  as  "the  Court  of  last  conjecture!" 
Judges  are  themselves  a  product  of  man-made  law; 
man-made  law  is  the  spawn  of  Modern  Commercial- 
ism; Modern  Commercialism  has  been  shown  to  be 
the  whelp  of  Ignorance.  The  pedigree  can  easily  be 
traced  and  established,  and  cannot  be  successfully 
contradicted.  A  man  is  no  more  honorable  after 
he  is  made  a  judge  than  he  was  before.  Honor  to 
whom  honor  is  due,  whether  he  be  a  judge  or  a 
barber.  If  a  citizen  desires  to  be  honored,  let  him 
do  something  to  merit  it.  "Honorables"  are  be- 
coming as  thick  in  the  U.  S.,  as  **Dons"  on  Sancho 
Panza's  island! 

To  bear  out  our  contention  concerning  man-made 
law  and  its  application,  just  read  the  following  in- 
telligent article  from  the  San  Francisco  Bulletin: 
CERTAINTY  AND  THE  LAW 

Ten  thousand  years  hence,  when  mankind  shall  have 
passed  the  stage  of  barbarism  in  which  it  is  at  present  and 
shall  have  begun  to  approach  true  civilization,  readers  of 
history  will  smile   at  the   crude   ideas  of  law  and  justice 

229 


METAMORPHOSE 

which  prevail  in  the  present  century.  We  fancy,  now,  that 
we  are  fairly  well  advanced,  and  that  reason  guides  most 
of  our  actions,  but  in  many  things  we  are  childishly  foolish 
and  paradoxical. 

Consider,  for  example,  the  way  litigation  is  conducted 
in  the  courts  of  Europe  and  the  United  States.  Suppose 
that  a  railway  train  has  run  over  and  injured  a  man,  and 
that  he  has  brought  an  action  for  damages  against  the  com- 
pany. The  defendant  will  demur  to  thf.  complaint  on  the 
ground  that  it  does  not  state  a  cause  oi  attion,  and  counsel 
on  both  sides  will  prepare  lengthy  arguments.  If  the  de- 
murrer has  any  merit  at  all  both  parties  will  have  shoals 
of  precedents  in  support  of  their  respective  sides,  for  an 
industrious  lawyer  can  find  authorities  to  support  almost 
any  contention,  however  nonsensical,  he  may  please  to 
make.  Courts  have  been  deciding  cases  for  centuries,  and 
all  these  cases  are  quotable  as  authorities.  If  some  judicial 
ignoramus  makes  an  unreasonable  decision  in  Texas  or  North 
Dakota  his  decision  has  more  or  less  weight  in  California, 
and  will  be  quoted  impressively  by  the  lawyer  who  finds 
it  apt. 

The  perplexity  and  contrariety  of  authorities  on  most 
law  points  really  puts  the  Judge  back  on  his  own  reason,  for 
the  authorities  nullify  one  another.  Now,  the  Judge's  reason 
is  merely  his  opinion,  and  his  opinion  depends  on  many 
conditions — on  his  quality  of  intellect,  on  his  age,  on  his 
personal  experiences,  on  his  education,  on  his  prejudices,  on 
the  condition  of  his  stomach  and  on  the  amount  of  sleep 
he  had  during  the  night  before  he  forms  his  opinion.  There- 
fore, the  court's  ruling  on  the  point  of  law  raised  in  the 
case  is  at  bottom  dependent  on  chance.  There  is  an  appeal 
to  a  higher  court,  but  the  decision  above  is  quite  as  clearly 
a  matter  of  speculation  as  the  decision  below.  In  the  estate 
of  Fair,  for  instance,  the  Supreme  Court  of  California  r«- 
versed  its  own  judgment  in  a  case  which  involved  immense 
interests^  which  had  been  exhaustively  argued  by  counsel, 
and  to  which  the  justices  had  given  months  of  thought  and 
research  before  rendering  the  first  judgment  on  appeal.  On 
both  decisions  the  seven  Justices  stood  four  against  three, 
and  it  is  not  unusual  for  the  Supreme  Court  to  be  divided 
and  to  reverse  itself.  Is  it  not  clear,  then,  that  there  is  no 
more  certainty  in  litigation  than  there  is  in  dicing? 

Chance  enters  quite  as  deeply  into  trials  of  questions  of 
fact  as  it  does  into  questions  of  pure  law.     Nothing  is  more 

230 


APPENDIX 

uncertain  than  the  verdict  of  a  jury.  Frequently,  when  the 
same  damage  case  is  tried  twice,  one  jury  will  award  the 
plaintiff  $10,000  and  another  jury  on  a  retrial  will  awarfl 
him  only  $1,000.  In  a  will  case  one  jury  will  sustain  a  will 
that  another  jury  will  break.  In  short,  the  result  of  a 
trial  on  issue  of  fact  is  determined  chiefly  by  the  drawing 
of  jurors'  names  from  the  box — exactly  as  the  result  of  a 
lottery  is  determined.  The  skill  of  counsel  rather  increases 
than  decreases  the  part  played  by  chance  in  litigation,  for  it 
can  help  defendants  to  escape  a  just  liability  or  plaintiffs 
to  recover  an  unjust  verdict. 

If  the  outcome  of  litigation  in  this  day,  with  all  our 
lawyers  and  our  law  libraries,  is  as  unforseeable  and  as 
dependent  on  chance  as  is  the  turn  of  the  card  in  faro  or 
the  turn  of  the  wheel  in  rouge  et  noir,  what  is  the  use  of 
keeping  up  an  expensive  and  cumbrous  system  of  judica- 
ture? Why  not  adopt  the  cadi  system  of  the  Arabs  and 
give  a  judge  absolute  and  final  power  in  the  exercise  of 
his  common  sense?  "Why  not  go  back  to  the  trial  by 
battle,  in  which  our  forefathers  settled  disputes  by  physical 
force?  Why  not  revive  the  trial  by  fire,  through  which 
our  pious  but  shrewd  ancestors,  by  requiring  defendants  to 
walk  through  flames,  passed  all  litigation  directly  up  to 
heaven  and  gave  the  Deity  an  opportunity  to  perform  a 
miracle  in  order  to  save  the  innocent  from  wrong?  There 
are  manifest  and  manifold  objections  to  these  systems  of 
determining  causes,  but  they  are  as  likely  to  produce  justice 
as  is  our  own  system  and  they  have  the  special  merit  not 
possessed  by  our  system,  of  being  speedy,  inexpensive  and 
conclusive. 

Mbdern  "Fraternalism" 

(p)  An  actual  case  that  occurred  only  recently 
is  as  follows:  An  organizer  for  a  worthy  young 
Fraternal  Insurance  Company  went  to  a  small  city 
and  organized  the  nucleus  of  a  prosperous  lodge. 
He  interested  some  thirty  or  forty  persons  who  were 
to  become  charter  members.  One  of  the  largest  es- 
tablished Fraternal  Orders  learned  of  this,  and  sent 
some  of  their  representatives  to  first  breed  discord 
by  practiced  means,  after  which  to  resort  to  the 
bribery  of  the  most  influential  prospect,  paying  him 

231 


METAMORPHOSE 

$50  to  deflect  the  labor  of  the  worthy  organizer  to 
their  own  camp.  The  plan  succeeded.  This  is 
merely  given  as  an  example  of  modern  business 
methods  as  applied  by  " fraternalism "  and  "broth- 
erly love." 

CHAPTER  X 

Insurance  Premium  Analyzed 

(q)  To  give  a  practical  illustration  of  this  truth 
we  will  analyze  a  "premium"  of  "legal"  reserve 
fund  insurance. 

Let  us  suppose  that  the  premium  is  $30  per  thou- 
sand on  an  ordinary  "participating,"  straight-life 
policy.  "Participating"  means  that  the  insured  is 
taxed  a  little  extra  for  "reserve  fund"  purposes 
and  is  supposed  to  participate,  under  certain  condi- 
tions set  forth  in  the  policy,  in  the  "earnings"  of 
his  surplus  contributions.  "Straight-life"  means 
that  the  premiums  continue  during  the  life  time 
of  the  insured. 

Reserve  fund  premiums  have  three  elements, 
namely:  an  expense  element;  a  mortuary  element, 
and  a  reserve  fund  element;  divided  approximately 
as  follows: 

Expense  fund .  .  25  per  cent,  of  the  premiums 

Mortuary  fund. 30  per  cent,  of  the  premiums 

Reserve  fund . .  45  per  cent,  of  the  premiums 

Thus  with  a  $30  permium  the  apportionment  would 

be  as  follows: 

Expense  fund    $7.50 

Mortuary    fund    9.00 

Reserve  fund  13.50 

The  mortuary  element  pays  practically  all  of  the 
death  losses,  since  the  average  life  of  a  policy  is 
about  seven  years.    Let  us  suppose  that  the  aver- 

232 


APPENDIX 

age  life  of  a  policy  be  ten  years.  The  insured  would 
then  contribute  $135.00  to  the  reserve  fund,  which, 
with  accrued  interest,  would  amount  to  about 
$165.00  at  the  end  of  ten  years.  Only  the  amount 
of  the  individual's  contributions  to  the  ''reserve 
fund"  together  with  accrued  interest  can  be  with- 
drawn from  the  general  "reserve  fund"  to  meet  the 
''loss"  occasioned  by  the  death  of  the  insured,  the 
balance  must  come  from  another  source!  Hence, 
in  the  event  of  his  death  at  this  time,  the  Company 
would  pay  his  beneficiary  the  sum  of  $1,000,  of 
which  $165.00  would  come  from  the  reserve  fund, 
while  $835.00  would  be  paid  from  out  the  mortuary 
fund.  Thus  161/^  per  cent,  of  the  "loss"  would  be 
paid  from  the  reserve  fund,  while  831/^  per  cent, 
would  be  paid  from  the  mortuary  fund. 

Does  it  not  seem  reasonable  that  if  the  mort- 
uary element  were  slightly  increased  the  reserve 
fund  element  could  be  discarded  altogether?  This 
must  be  granted.  If  it  is  granted  in  this  case,  the 
same  rule  will  apply  to  all  "reserve  fund"  institu- 
tions. 

A  Good  Insurance  Association 

(r)  We  trust  it  is  not  out  of  place  here  to  state 
that  there  is  one  purely  mutual  insurance  associa- 
tion in  the  IT.  S.  that  is  operating  on  a  plan,  the 
principles  of  which  are  scientifically  correct,  and 
the  members  obtain  pure  insurance  at  actual  cost. 
The  plan  is  self-regulating  and  there  is  no  reason 
why  it  should  ever  "fail."  This  bears  out  the  au- 
thor's contention  that  "reserve  funds"  are  a  burden 
rather  than   a  blessing. 

If  any  person  wishes  to  verify  this  statement  re- 
garding the  existence  of  such  an  insurance  organi- 
zation that  is  economic,  equitable  and  absolutely 
stable  without  a  "reserve  fund"  attachment,  a  line 

233 


METAMORPHOSE 

to  the  publishers  enclosing  a  self-addressed, 
stamped  envelope  requesting  the  address  of  this  or- 
ganization will  bring  the  information. 

"Fraud  Order"  Conspiracy 

(s)  At  the  time  the  scheme  was  concocted  the 
United  States  Attorney  for  the  Postoffice  Depart- 
ment was  a  man  named  Tyner.  Associated  with 
him  as  Assistant  Attorney  was  a  nephew  of  his 
named  Barrett.  Mr.  Tyner  was  a  feeble  old  man 
and  did  little  or  none  of  the  work  of  his  office.  It 
was  Barrett  no  doubt  who  was  the  originator  of 
the  idea  of  using  this  law  for  the  purpose  of  black- 
mail. Before  his  time  very  few  "fraud  orders'* 
had  been  issued,  and  those  were  principally  against 
individuals  connected  with  lotteries — genuine  lot- 
teries. 

Barrett  set  about  his  plan  with  exceeding  cun- 
ning. He  was  a  *' smart"  man.  He  appreciated 
thoroughly  the  placid  slavery  of  judges  to  anti- 
quated "Precedent,"  so  he  conceived  the  idea  of 
formulating  some  ''opinions"  in  his  official  capacity 
that  would  undoubtedly  be  used  as  a  "precedent" 
by  lawyers  and  courts  long  after  his  death.  One 
of  these  opinions  was  to  the  effect  that  if  any  indi- 
vidual or  business  institution,  "used  one  man's 
money  to  pay  another"  it  could  be  deemed  either  a 
lottery  or  a  fraud  under  this  law,  and  a  "fraud 
order"  could  be  issued  against  the  victim!  By 
thus  expanding  the  definition  of  lottery  to  cover  all 
business,  he  enlarged  the  scope  of  the  law  until  it 
now  covers  practically  every  business  institution! 
His  opinion  sounds  craftily  plausible  and  it  has  been 
the  guide  in  the  "fraud  order"  Department  for  sev- 
eral years,  and  it  is  their  Golden  Rule  today !  Thus 

5>.S4 


APPENDIX 

Barrett  practically  made  a  law  for  the  government 
of  the  people. 

Any  intelligent  person,  however,  after  a  moment's 
thought,  knoM^s  that  there  is  no  business  institu- 
tion whatever,  whether  it  be  a  bank,  a  life  insur- 
ance company,  or  a  mercantile  institution,  that 
could  possibly  exist  if  it  were  compelled  to  mark 
each  individual's  money  for  identification  and  move 
it  or  return  it  only  to  him.  The  business  life  of 
every  business  institution  depends  upon  a  constant 
movement  of  money — or  taking  money  from  one 
individual  and  giving  it  to  another! 

However,  we  will  pass  over  the  pedantic  ignor- 
ance or  cunning  trickery  exhibited  in  the  ** opinion," 
and  the  display  of  either  shallow  intellect  or  delib- 
erate corruption  on  the  part  of  those  who  use  this 
*' opinion"  for  oppression,  and  follow  Barrett. 

After  delivering  himself  of  his  "opinion"  and 
printing  the  nonsense  at  public  expense — also  he 
was  under  salary  from  the  people  at  the  time! — he 
resigned  from  his  "position"  as  an  Assistant  At- 
torney General  of  the  United  States  and  went  to 
Baltimore,  Maryland,  and  established  himself  in  an 
office  as  a  lawyer.  Then  by  connivance  with  the 
"department"  he  commenced  to  hunt  his  game. 
The  Postoffice  "Inspectors"  would  seek  out  any 
institution  which  could  be  attacked  without  the 
public  and  newspapers  rising  in  arms  against  a 
flagrant  injustice,  and  recommend  to  "Washing- 
ton" that  a  "fraud  order"  be  issued.  "Washing- 
ton** would  apprise  Barrett  of  the  quarry  and  its 
location,  and  would  also  issue  a  communication  to 
the  victim,  citing  him  to  appear  in  Washington  ( !) 
at  his  own  expense  and  "show  cause"  why  a  "fraud 
order"  should  not  be  issued  against  him!  Barrett 
would  now  write  to  the  helpless  victims  to  the  ef- 

235 


METAMORPHOSE 

feet  that  he  was  fully  conversant  with  the  rules 
and  regulations  of  the  ** Department"  and  that  he 
would  be  glad  to  act  as  their  ''attorney."  Bar- 
rett would  regulate  his  fee  in  accordance  with  the 
prosperity  of  the  individual  or  institution.  Black- 
mailers always  adjust  themselves  to  conditions.  If 
the  individual  or  institution  employed  Barrett,  he 
was  invariably  successful  in  "showing  cause"  why 
the  ''fraud  order"  should  not  be  issued,  and  it 
would  not  be  issued.  If,  however,  the  victim  chose 
another  attorney,  or  represented  himself,  or  failed 
to  appear,  the  ''fraud  order"  was  always  issued. 
Truth  and  Justice  may  not  like  the  climate  of 
"Washington"  or,  perhaps,  it  was  only  meritorious 
institutions,  like  the  E.  J.  Arnold  "turf  speculat- 
ing" establishment  of  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  for  instance, 
who  employed  Barrett! 

Barrett's  law  business  grew  and  prospered,  and 
the  "fraud  order"  business  flourished  like  a  green 
Bay  tree,  or  rather  like  a  Upas  tree. 

A  co-operative  institution  in  Chicago  named  the 
Public  Clearing  House  was  finally  attacked.  An 
honest,  upright,  conscientious  man,  J.  Franklin 
Davis,  was  at  the  head  of  the  institution.  Mr.  Davis 
is  also  a  brave  man,  and  like  all  really  brave  men, 
he  scorns  knavery  and  trickery.  Mr.  Davis  fought 
the  Postoffice  "Department"  and  unearthed  Barrett 
and  his  gang.  For  a  number  of  weeks  the  news- 
papers were  filled  with  the  "Postoffice  Scandal." 
Like  all  such  things,  its  effect  was  ephemeral,  and 
it  is  even  now  difficult  for  the  public  to  recall  the 
particulars.  Very  few  know  that  this  law  was  used 
by  thieves  and  robbers  as  they  would  use  a  sand- 
bag or  a  revolver.  The  newspapers  did  not  men- 
tion the  thing  of  real  importance. 

Such    a    condition    can    easily  exist  again — may 
236 


APPENDIX 

exist  even  now — since  the  law  is  the  weapon  util- 
ized. All  that  is  required  is  the  vicious  mind  back 
of  it.  Then  again,  revolvers  are  often  discharged 
accidentally  to  the  great  injury  of  some  individual ; 
and  also  there  is  the  old  plea  of  "didn't  know  it 
was  loaded."  In  other  words,  the  law  might  be 
used  unjustly  through  sheer  stupidity. 

The  machinery  at  "Washington"  continues  to 
grind  out  "fraud  orders"  galore.  It  is  getting  so 
that  if  a  business  antagonist  wants  his  competitor's 
business  killed,  he  can  employ  the  government 
"fraud  order"  Department.  The  "Department" 
seems  to  think  it  is  the  only  law  in  existence  for  the 
"regulation"  of  business! 

It  is  only  a  question  of  time  until  there  will  be 
another  evanescent  "Postoffice  Scandal."  People 
will  exclaim  for  a  day  "how  dreadful,"  but  they 
will  give  no  thought  to  the  slaughtered  victims,  and 
there  is  no  provision  in  "law"  for  their  recompense. 
"Officials"  dislike  to  provide  for  their  own  punish- 
ment.   It  is  the  other  fellow  they  want  "governed." 

Verily  the  fruit  of  the  Tree  is  bitter  fruit. 

Postoffice  "Inspectors" 

(t)  The  writer  has  known  of  "Fraud  Orders" 
being  issued  against  honest  and  upright  citizens 
whose  personality  and  business  were  entirely  un- 
known to  the  Postmaster  General  or  any  of  his  under- 
lings, including  * '  Inspectors. ' '  Such  *  *  fraud  orders ' ' 
are  issued  at  the  instigation  or  "recommendation" 
of  Postoffice  "Inspectors."  A  Postoffice  "Inspect- 
or" is,  with  certainty,  a  person  of  mediocre  intelli- 
gence even  though  he  be  honest,  as  evidenced  by 
the  position  he  fills.  It  is  the  low-salaried  position 
of  an  underling  and  is  a  political  affair.  It  must 
be  evident  that  a  ma-n  seeks  such  a  position  because 

237 


METAMORPHOSE 

he  is  unable  to  make  a  living  in  ordinary  profes- 
sions or  pursuits.  Does  it  not  also  seem  probable 
that,  under  the  present  conditions,  if  he  is  not  a 
"grafter"  when  he  seeks  the  position,  he  is  very- 
apt  to  become  one  soon  after?  That  is  logical,  is  it 
not?  These  are  the  men  to  whom  the  people  pay 
small  salaries  for  tyranizing  over  them  with  their 
"fraud  orders."  They  are  getting  so  they  work 
the  "fraud  order"  game  for  all  it  is  worth,  un- 
doubtedly receiving  "inspiration"  from  business 
competitors  or  enemies  of  the  victims.  "Whenever 
you  hear  of  "fraud  orders"  being  issued,  just  real- 
ize that  the  fraud  is  committed  by  our  delightful 
"government,"  since  the  person  against  whom  the 
"order"  is  issued  could  be  adequately  punished  in 
the  ordinary  manner  if  he  actually  commits  a 
wrong.  That's  logical  too,  isn't  it? 
Too  Much  Law 

(u)     Many  thinkers  are  recognizing  the  futility 
and  absurdity  of  so  many  thousand  "laws,"  and  a 
few  are  voicing  their  sentiments  as  witness  the  fol- 
lowing editorial  from  The  Saturday  Evening  Post: 
LESS  LAW  AND  MORE  JUSTICE. 

"Now  comes  a  new  and  wonderful  remedy  for 
the  oppressions  and  exactions  of  the  monopolist 
and  secret  freight-rate  sand-baggers  and  operators 
of  faked  or  stolen  franchises.  They  are  thieves — 
just  plain,  grand  larceny  thieves.  They  have  vio- 
lated the  laws  against  larcenies.  One  would  say: 
'The  way  to  stop  this  business  is  to  enforce  the 
law.'  Not  at  all!  Here  is  the  proper  procedure: 
Since  these  men  have  violated  existing  laws,  we  must 
get  at  them  by  passing  laws  forbidding  men  to  vio- 
late laws.  And  should  that  dire  threat  fail  of  its 
purpose,  then  let  us  assemble  Congress  or  the  Leg- 

238 


APPENDIX 

islature,  and  pass  laws  forbidding  men  to  violate 
laws  that  forbid  them  to  violate  laws.  More  laws, 
and  still  more  laws,  yet  again  more  laws,  until  the 
sheep  on  ten  thousand  hills  cannot  give  up  skin 
enough  to  engross  them  upon  or  to  bind  them  in. 

"About  the  best  thing  that  could  happen  would 
be  to  repeal  all  our  criminal  statutes,  and  in  their 
place  enact  a  selective  few  of  the  Ten  Command- 
ments with  appropriate  sanctions  attached  by  way 
of  clinchers." — Saturday,  Dec.  9,  1905. 

Congress  has  just  convened  and  a  newspaper 
headline  reads  "Thousands  of  New  Bills  Introduced 
the  First  Day."  Do  you,  reader,  know  what  they 
were  about?  Yet  one  of  the  fixed  rules  of  "law" 
is  "ignorance  of  the  law  excuses  no  man!"  There 
will  probably  be  five  thousand  new  "laws"  en- 
acted during  the  next  twelve  months.  Will  they 
improve  conditions? 

CHAPTER  XI 

Malicious  "Newspapers" 

(v)  A  splendid  example  of  the  evil  accruing 
from  the  utterance  of  inane  thought  is  a  modern 
newspaper  presided  over  by  a  personification  of 
Ignorance  and  Maliciousness  which  persistently  op- 
poses new  Ideas  without  reference  as  to  whether 
they  be  good  or  evil.  Mixed  with  what  we  term 
the  legitimate  or  helpful  news,  is  the  malignant 
obloquy  and  slanderous  rant  of  professional  de- 
famers  and  traducers.  In  pursuit  of  their  nefari- 
ous "calling"  their  minds  have  become  thoroughly 
saturated  with  the  filth  they  have  mentally  juggled 
for  years,  and  they  have  reached  the  very  depths 
of  human  degradation.  They  are  strangers  to  de- 
cency, honor,  and  honesty,  which  is  conclusivelyj 

239 


METAMORPHOSE 

proven  by  that  which  oozes  from  them.  Judge  the 
tree  by  its  fruit.  The  very  sight  of  a  clean,  hon- 
est man  acts  upon  these  assassins  of  the  common- 
weal as  a  red  flag  to  a  bull,  and  stirs  up  the  bile  of 
their  pestilential  minds  until  they  seek  to  bedaub 
him  with  the  filth  of  their  own  nauceous  excre- 
ment. This  may  be  considered  strong  language 
and  out  of  keeping  with  the  spirit  of  this  book,  but 
the  evil  we  endeavor  to  picture  by  means  of  mere 
words  is  so  thoroughly  vile  that  it  can  only  be  ex- 
pressed in  strong  terms,  no  matter  how  much  we 
may  deprecate  their  use.  Were  this  evil  treated  in 
other  publications  we  would  not  allow  it  to  con- 
taminate these  pages,  but  other  publications  no 
doubt  deem  it  unwise  to  unduly  stir  up  a  skunk. 

Hundreds  of  thousands  of  people,  yes  millions, 
know  that  the  general  condition  of  affairs  as  they 
relate  to  the  human  race  and  its  progress  is  not  only 
unsatisfactory,  but  altogether  deplorable,  yet  few 
realize  that  this  condition  is  made  far  worse  by 
these  "newspaper"  degenerates  who  contaminate 
the  minds  of  thousands  of  people  with  mental  mag- 
gots and  festers.  The  daily  mental  food  of  thou- 
sands— adults  and  children — consists  of  a  confused 
mess  of  mental  pictures  set  forth  in  the  daily  news- 
papers depicting  the  morbid,  the  sensuous,  the  vici- 
ous, the  degrading  deeds  -committed  by  different 
members  of  the  great  human  family.  As  a  rule  the 
"news"  is  colored  with  the  reporter's  vivid  and 
vicious  imagination.  Most  daily  newspaper  re- 
porters are  always  in  a  great  hurry  because  of  the 
limited  time  allowed  for  the  preparation  of  the 
"story."  The  best  reporter  is  the  one  who  can 
write  the  most  sensational  account  of  an  occurrance 
on  the  most  meager  information.  The  average  re- 
porter will  rush  into  an  office  building,  look  at  the 

240 


APPENDIX 

lettering  on  the  door  of  some  concern  he  is  about  to 
"write  up,"  will  fly  back  to  his  office  and  concoct  a 
"story"  that  will  cause  a  nine  days'  wonder  to 
those  thoughtless  mortals  who  relish  such  drivel.  The 
only  restraint  there  is  on  a  reporter  is  the  editor 
who  scans  the  stuff  to  see  whether  or  not  it  be  libel- 
ous. Some  newspaper  men  actually  delight  in  the 
wanton  destruction  of  the  character  and  reputa- 
tion of  every  upright  person  in  the  community, 
while  they  will  laud  to  the  skies  human  parasites 
who  exist  only  to  prey  upon  their  fellowmen.  Why 
will  human  beings  stoop  so  low?  Because  they  can 
get  a  dollar  or  two  by  means  of  it. 

Although  there  are  no  man-made  laws  provided 
for  its  punishment,  this  crime  against  Progress  com- 
mitted by  malicious  Ignorance  is  the  greatest  error, 
excepting  possibly  wanton  murder,  that  the  human 
consciousness  will  stoop  to  commit,  for  it  is  a  crime 
that  affects  the  welfare  of  and  pollutes  the  whole 
Race,  and  it  is  the  progenitor  of  thousands  of  other 
crimes.  The  body  politic  should  so  recognize  it 
and  treat  it  accordingly. 

This  does  not  apply  to  all  newspapers,  but  only 
to  those  that  deserve  it.  Should  anyone  so  desire 
we  can  probably  give  specific  examples.  People 
of  intelligence,  however,  can  turn  the  light  of  Truth 
on  newspaperdom  and  readily  determine  for  them- 
selves which  are  the  petty  scandal  mongers  and 
malicious  ranters. 

No  person  who  has  the  welfare  of  the  community 
at  heart  should  in  any  manner  contribute  toward 
the  maintenance  of  such  a  newspaper,  nor  should  it 
be  allowed  in  the  home.  It  were  better  to  welcome 
smallpox  or  scarlet  fever  into  the  family,  for  that 
could  affect  the  body  only  and  would  not  contam- 
inate the  soul.    "Is  not  life  more  than  meat?" 

241 


METAMORPHOSE 
The  Good  in  Manifestation 

(w)  In  this  connection  weigh  these  fragmentary 
savings  of  Jesus : 

"Know  the  truth,  and  the  truth  shall  make  you 
free." 

"Ye  neither  know  Me  nor  ]\Iy  Father:  if  ye  had 
known  Me,  ye  would  have  known  My  Father  also." 

"I  and   My   Father   are    one." 

"I  am  the  resurrection  and  the  life." 

*'He  that  loveth  his  life  shall  lose  it,  and  he  that 
hateth  his  life  in  this  world  shall  keep  it  unto  life 
eternal." 

"He  that  believeth  on  Me,  believeth  not  on  Me, 
but  Him  that  sent  Me." 

*'If  I  go  I  shall  come  again." 

**I  am  the  way,  the  truth,  and  the  life." 

**I  speak  not  of  Myself,  but  the  Father  in  Me,  He 
'doeth  the  works." 

"And  I  shall  pray  the  Father,  and  He  shall  give 
you  another  Comforter,  that  He  may  abide  with  you 
forever;  even  the  Spirit  of  Truth." 

"But  the  Comforter  which  is  the  Holy  Ghost, 
whom  the  Father  will  send  in  My  name.  He  shall 
teach  you  all  things." 

"But  when  the  Comforter  is  come,  whom  I  send 
unto  you  from  the  Father,  he  shall  testify  of  Me." 

"And  when  He  is  come  He  shall  reprove  the 
world  of  sin,  and  of  righteousness,  and  of  judg- 
ment." 

"When  he,  the  Spirit  of  Truth,  is  come,  he  will 
guide  you  unto  all  truth:  for  he  will  not  speak  of 
himself;  but  whatsoever  he  shall  hear  that  shall  he 
speak;  and  he  will  show  you  things  to  come." 

Jesus  knew  that  God  is  universal  and  that  his 
Consciousness  was  but  a  manifestation  of  that 
Good,  the  Father !    The  Comforter  is  the  Good,  and 

242 


APPENDIX 

it  is  with  you  whenever  you  do  not  drive  it  away 
with  Evil.  Jesus  said  truly  "the  Kingdom  of 
Heaven  is  within  you."  The  Kingdom  of  Heaven 
is  the  Cosmos,  and  you  are  the  Cosmos  in  miniature, 
having  the  capacity  of  attaining  unto  all  the  power 
and  wisdom  that  Christ  manifested. 

**Ye  are  my  brothers,  my  friends,"  said  the  Naz- 
arene,  **all  these  things  that  I  do  ye  shall  do  and 
even  greater  when  you  come  into  the  knowledge 
of  the  Good — when  you  know  the  Father." 

He  that  hath  ears  to  hear,  let  him  hear! 

An  Inspired  Poet 

(x)  No  one  can  read  Mr.  Grant  Wallace's  poem. 
The  Three  Visions,  without  realizing  that  it  is  a  true 
word  picture  of  the  chaotic  condition  of  sociologi- 
cal affairs  as  they  exist  today.  It  was  written  when 
the  author  was  in  close  touch  with  Nature — the  first 
lines,  in  fact,  practically  describing  the  situation. 

Few  can  read  it  without  the  thrill  which  invari- 
ably accompanies  inspirational  work.  That  this 
beautiful  poem  is  the  work  of  inspiration,  few  will 
deny;  that  it  will  live  to  be  read  and  reread  by 
future  generations,  is  a  foregone  conclusion.  The 
quotation  in  the  text  is  found  in  the  second  Vision. 

THE  THEEE  VISIONS 

By  Grant  Wallace 

At  midnight  on  the  cloud-capped,  craggy  spine 
Of  this  new  Western  world,  I  lay  me  down 
And  dream  a  dream.   Methought  I  sat  aloft 
And  gazed  across  th'  abysmal  deeps  of  Time, 
Adown  the  dim  perspective  of  the  Ages. 
Before  me  passed  in  ghostly,  mad  review 

243 


METAMORPHOSE 

The  long  procession  of  the  Age  of  Blood — 
Injustice,  Savagery  and  brutal  Crime. 
There  Murder  stalked  the  earth  with  gory  face, 
And  wolves  of  Hunger  Hate  and  Rapine  howled, 
And  soldiers,  villains,  serfs  and  feudal  lords 
Tossed  high  their  battle-axes,  shields  and  swords, 
And  yelled,  "Long  live  the  King — Long  live  King 

Brawn!" 
I  saw  the  red  arena ;  ladies  fair 
"With  downward  thumbs;  men  thrown  in  sport  to 

beasts ; 
"World-teachers  crucified,  burned  at  the  stake;     ' 
The  rack,  the  galley,  the  Ordeal  of  Fire ; 
Whole  nations,  clans  and  tribes  put  to  the  sword 
In  senseless  battle,  and  the  lowly  homes 
Of  Innocence  made  desolate. 

I  marked 
Where  slowly  crawled  a  brace  of  white-faced  slaves, 
Sore  scourged  by  whips  of  thorns,  and  bent  to  earth 
Beneath  the  weight  of  sacrificial  stones 
Adrip  with  their  slain  brothers'  purple  gore, 
And  led  by  Superstition,  cowled  and  blind. 
I  saw  blood-glutted  warriors  meet  and  feast 
At  swinish  bacchanals  'round  wassail  bowls; 
There  galloped  by  swashbuckling  thieves  who  dared 
To  meet  their  foemen  bravely,  eye  to  eye — 
Held  life  a  bubble,  and  as  little  knew 
Of  Soul  as  did  the  shaggy  beasts  they  rode. 
It  was  a  grewsome  scene  of  blood  and  stress; 
Force  ruled  that  ancient  world,  and  Might  made 

Right. 
*'Away  with  visions  of  archaic  years 
When  Muscle  ruled  the  world,"  I  cried  at  last. 
**  Paint    me    no    more  the  crude,  rough  Reign  of 

Brawn, 
The  Goths,  the  Attilas,  the  Genghis  Khans, 

244 


APPENDIX 

Freebooters,  hangmen,  pirates,  slaves  and  thieves, 
Tearing  each  others'  throats  through  Inst  for  blood. 
Show  me  the  Present  with  its  Brotherhood — 
Show    what    two    thousand    years  of  Christ  have 

done!" 
And  lo,  bej'ond  the  far  rim  of  the  world 
Swept  all  that  wild  hallooing  cavalcade — 
The  Sons  of  Thunder  of  the  days  of  eld; 
The  echoes  of  their  hoofbeats  died  away: 
And  so  the  dream  of  brutish  horror  passed. 

I  looked  again.    Another  pageant  grand, 
Interminable,  stretched  afar  across 
The  misty  earth  from  pole  to  pole ;  but  lo. 
These  marchers  seemed  the  same  I  saw  before, 
Decked  now  in  costumes  for  the  masquerade — 
Brute  Force  linked  to  Finesse  and  Brawn  to  Brain ! 
Enthroned  upon  a  pile  of  money  bags, 
Surrounded  by  a  horde  of  parasites 
Effeminate,   blase   and   sinister, 
A  valet  to  adjust  his  monocle, 
In  evening  dress,  the  smug  King  of  Today, 
Propped  in  his  private  Car  of  Juggernath, 
Eolled  past  o'er  boulevards  macadamized 
"With  hundred  million  humble  toilers'  skulls 
Cemented  with  the  blood  of  slaughtered  babes. 
I  saw  the  Monarch  Greed,  "with  power  too  great 
To  keep  or  to  resign,"  wave  high  his  rod 
Of  empire.     Then  like  corn  by  tempest  swept, 
Rank  after  rank  each  forehead  touched  the  dust. 
There  in  the  chair  of  State,  upborne  by  Toil, 
Sat  vile  Corruption,  gravely  drafting  laws 
To  make  his  Judas  gold  respectable; 
And  Crime  came  strutting  by  disguised  as  Law 
And  Theft  and  plutocratic  Anarchy, 
Hypocrisy  and  Wealth  and  polished  Guilt, 

245 


METAMORPHOSE 

Led  by  the  Church,  all  loudly  worshiping 

A  caricature  of  Christ,  the  Socialist! 

A  hoast  of  quaking  cowards,  bolstered  up 

By  purchasing  codes  and  hotmouthed  gatling  guns, 

And  justified  by  statutes  made  by  Greed, 

Lolled,  cushioned,  in  the  vanguard. 

Canting  Wealth, 
Stealing  from  trusting  Toil  the  Golden  Calf, 
Gave  back  the  hoofs  and  horns  for  Jesus'  sake. 
There  masqueraded  pirates  of  the  mart 
And  perfumed,  scientific  carpet  knights, 
In  exploitation  of  the  hopeless  poor. 
Then  velvet-handed,  smiling  Murder  came 
Disguised  as  Business;  and  behind  I  saw 
Poor,  slaving  Genius  grinding  meal  for  Dives. 
Cold  Intellect,  with  Soul  asleep  or  dead. 
Ate  the  dry  rot  of  crude  Materialism, 
And   'neath  its  heel  crushed  Pity,  Faith  and  Love. 
I  saw  unthinking  men  led  from  the  plow 
To  slaughter  millions  of  embattled  kin 
'Gainst  whom  they  never  knew  a  cause  for  strife. 
Urged  on  by  that  last  rallying  call 
Of  scoundrel  Power,  the  cry  of  "Patriotism." 
Yea,  I  saw  Peace  more  cruel  far  than  War, 
And  hopeless  Grief  that  knew  not  why  it  wept. 
I  saw  a  struggling,  mole-eyed,  groundling  race 
All  trodden  'neath  the  thundering  iron  hoofs 
Of  what  it  blindly  named  Necessity. 
I  saw  the  men  in  power  all  serving  Gold, 
With  none  to  govern  it.    One  only  tongue 
Of  Oracle : — Gold  spoke,  and  God  was  dumb ! 
Then  I  beheld  the  world's  supreme  disgrace. 
Afar  I  saw  a  famished  million  cringe 
And  crawl  to  taste  a  bite  of  charity 
And  madly  riot  over  doles  from  wealth — 
Vast  wealth  their  own  enfeebled  hands  had  made — 

246 


APPENDIX 

And    crumbs    that    dribbled    down    from   banquet 

boards 
Of  those  so  rich  in  gold,  so  poor  in  soul — 
The  predatory  Aristocracy. 
Came  stunted  men  devouring  one  another, 
And  toilers  dying  thick  as  autumn  flies 
For  sake  of  Dividends  and  in  the  name 
Of  Christ  and  Law  and  sacred  Competition, 
While  Want  and  Cold  and  Hunger  led  the  way 
To  Crime  and  Shame;  and  following  fast  there  came 
Thin-faced  Industrial  Slaves;  and  frail  child  hands 
Worn  to  the  bone  in  factory  and  mine 
Upraised,  prophetic  of  the  coming  Terror! 
Behind  the  scented  Judases  who  Take. 
I  saw  the  world-long  line  of  Nemeses, 
The  toiling,  starving,  thinking  Men  who  Make, 
Come  like  a  writhing  python,  hungry,  blind, 
Slow,  crawling  on  its  belly  up  the  steeps, 
The  craggy  steeps  of  Progress  and  of  Time ; 
And  from  afar  a  hollow  murmur,  hoarse. 
Portentous,  dread,  as  of  a  capped  volcano. 
Came  wailing,  rumbling,  down  the  wind — the  great. 
Exceeding  bitter  cry  of  the  Oppressed — 
The  cry  for  Justice  and  for  Brotherhood! 


The   curtain  fell.     That  midnight  vision   dire 
Went  out  forever.    Then  the  Future  rose 
Fair  as  a  star.    I  saw  in  every  man 
The  Intellect  mount  guard  above  mere  Brawn, 
And  over  both  his  Spirit  rise  supreme. 
I  saw  awakened  Universal  Love — 
The  slow,  sweet  fruit  of  aeons  numberless. 
The  worship  of  the  fetish  Property 
And  Vested  Rights  and  Privilege  and  Cant 
Went  out  when  Individual  Gods  awoke, 

247 


METAMORPHOSE 

And  all  mankind  assumed  its  ordained  place 

Above  the  products  of  its  toiling  hands. 

I  saw  the  millions  walking  close  to  God ; 

The  reign  of  Might  was  done,  and  in  its  stead 

Co-operation  and  the  reign  of  Love; 

For  Love  was  Queen,  and  only  Life  was  sacred! 


Prof.  Edgar  L.  Larkin's  Significant  Impressions 

(y)  Here  are  given  some  very  remarkable  ideas 
by  Prof.  Edgar  L.  Larkin.  These  articles  appeared 
just  as  the  MSS.  of  this  book  was  completed  and 
they  are  so  pertinent  to  the  subject  and  come  from 
such  a  thoughtful  source,  that  they  are  reproduced 
practically  entire.  ''Mental  Chaos"  appeared  first, 
and  a  week  later  it  was  followed  by  ''Remarkable 
Mental  Conditions."  Note  the  change  of  tone  or 
attitude  in  the  consciousness  of  the  able  writer.  The 
general  tone  in  Mental  Chaos  is  one  of  deprecation 
of  the  criticisms  of  the  established  order  of  things, 
while  the  article  on  Mental  Conditions  is  distinctly 
iconoclastic.  The  language  criticizes  present  condi- 
tions in  even  stronger  terms  than  the  author  em- 
ploys. 

All  these  things  are  but  a  part  of  the  Divine  Plan. 
Gold  and  jewels  are  of  small  value  when  compared 
with  a  human  soul,  and  the  Soul  constantly  yearns 
for  the  food  it  needs,  and  which  blind  ignorance 
ever  withholds  from  it.  Men  devote  several  hours 
daily  to  catering  to  their  physical  wants,  and  be- 
grudge even  a  few  moments  spent  for  mental  food, 
while  the  higher  life — the  Soul  life— is  ignored  com- 
pletely. 

Prof.  Larkin  depicts  a  general  condition  in  Race 
Evolution,  and  "thieves,"  "robbers,"  "grafters," 
etc.,     are    ignorant    human     beings     irresistingly 

248 


APPENDIX 

swayed  by  Greed  and  Fear.  Their  animal  nature 
is  predominant,  and  they  are  unconscious  of  the 
existence  of  an  earthly  state  which  far  transcends 
mere  animal  gratification.  They  are  to  be  pitied 
as  we  pity  any  other  form  of  insanity.  The  time 
will  come  when  our  prisons  will  be  transformed 
into  asylums  where  thieves  and  robbers  and  others 
made  insane  by  Greed,  Fear  or  Malice,  will  be 
taught  the  logical  basis  of  Truth  and  the  beneficent 
results  obtained  through  its  application  by  the  in- 
dividual. 

MENTAL   CHAOS   COMING  ON 

A  few  samples  of  questions  received  here  by  the  hun- 
dred, from  all  parts  of  the  country: 

Q.  Is  the  Darwinian  doctrine  of  evolution  of  animals 
and  man  considered  settled?— H.  A.  C,  Albuquerque,  New 
Mexico. 

A.  Biologists  are  in  a  state  of  mental  chaos,  and  all 
other  scientists  except  mathematicians.  All  laws  of  nature, 
about  fifty  so  far  discovered,  that  are  based  on  mathe- 
matics, are  known  to  be  settled  on  a  rock  foundation.  Such 
sciences  as  biology,  physiology,  mentology  and  medicine 
must  struggle  for  a  hundred  years  to  come  to  really  settle 
anything.  Chaos  reigns  supreme  among  these  studies.  Noth- 
ing is  known  about  the  origin  of  life  of  any  kind,  plant  or 
animal. 

Q.  Is  it  true  that  the  earth  could  come  to  an  end  and 
make  no  diflPerence  in  the  motions  of  the  universe? — Mrs.  A. 
W.,  Memphis,  Tenn. 

A.  It  is  indeed  true.  Move  one  corner  of  this  paper 
one  inch.  You  disturb  at  least  two  million  pieces  of  dust. 
Each  one  is  exceedingly  small.  But  it  is  larger  in  propor- 
tion to  the  combined  mass  of  all  the  billions  of  particles 
of  dust  in  your  room,  in  which  you  may  be  reading,  than 
the  earth  is  to  the  quantity  of  matter  now  known  to  mathe- 
maticians. Eustle  the  paper  slightly  fifty  times  and  you 
hit  one  hundred  million  pieces  of  dust  without  any  effect  on 
the  particles  in  all  other  parts  of  the  room.  Therefore,  one 
hundred  million  worlds  like  the  earth,  with  all  the  people 
on  each,   could  be   annihilated   and   no   effect  could  be   de- 

249 


METAMORPHOSE 

tected  in  the  vast  universe.  Microscopic  effects  would  be 
detected  by  an  astronomer  in  our  little  local  solar  system 
if  the  earth  should  be  destroyed.  The  universe  is  not  aware 
that  the  earth  exists. 

Q.  What  is  the  distance  from  the  earth  to  the  nearest 
star? — A.  A.  W.  A.,  La  Crosse,  Wisconsin. 

A.     Twenty-five    thousand   billion    (25,000,000,000)    miles. 

Such  questions  continually  pouring  in  from  everywhere 
indicate  a  general  state  of  inquiry  and  an  awakening  of 
mind.  Visitors  here  from  all  parts  of  the  world  make  simi- 
lar inquiries  day  after  day.  For  some  reason,  when  they 
find  how  minute  the  earth  is  they  are  depressed. 

The  great  dome  of  the  observatory  is  thirty  feet  in 
diameter  and  is  a  hemisphere.  I  have  a  little  ball  three 
and  one-third  inches  in  diameter.  The  dome  represents  the 
Bun  and  the  ball  the  earth.  This  is  an  object  lesson,  and 
everybody  is  astonished  when  they  make  comparison.  Trou- 
bled looks  appear  on  some  faces,  hopeless  expressions  on 
others.  Some  of  the  women  gaze  wistfully  around,  and  a 
few  venture  to  ask  "if  I  am  sure  the  earth  is  that  small." 
But  the  sun  is  a  little  star  and  looks  like  the  point  of  a 
needle  from  space. 

But  why  be  cast  down  or  distressed?  Human  beings 
are  a  part  of  the  universe,  no  matter  how  small  their  com- 
bined dimensions  may  be.  Nevertheless,  there  is  a  gen- 
eral  unrest  in  the  minds  of  the  people.  I  was  not  aware 
that  it  is  so  general  until  I  came  here  and  came  in  contact 
with  all  kinds  and  conditions  from  every  part  of  the  world. 
They  tell  me  what  they  read  in  papers,  books  and  maga- 
zines. It  is  common  to  hear  these  remarks:  "Oh,  I  wish 
I  knew  what  to  believe,"  "I  am  all  unsettled,"  and  at 
times  I  hear  this:     "I  have  no  belief." 

Eaging  controversies  are  agitating  the  minds  of  the  peo- 
ple here  and  in  Europe.  In  fact,  Europe  is  all  torn  up; 
especially  England.  The  only  proposition  I  can  find  tha* 
that  is  not  attacked  is  mathematics.  They  are  afraid  to 
tackle  that  job.  Everything  else,  ancient  or  modern,  is 
daily  attacked  with  vehemence. 

No  belief  escapes,  and  anything  venerable  for  its  an- 
tiquity is  attacked  with  increased  violence.  Magazines 
that  contain  nothing  but  attacks  on  all  existing  conditions 
have  large  circulation.  They  come  tumbling  into  the  ob- 
servatory in  every  mail.  It  seems  as  though  I  can  hear 
the   discordant,   shrieking  voices   of   the   agonized   races   of 

250 


APPENDIX 

the  earth.  Positively,  humanity  is  a  seething,  tiirbulent, 
chaotic  mass  now.  They  are  trying  to  overthrow  everything 
you  ever  heard  of.  with  attacks  from  all  directions.  Even 
the  Constitution  of  the  United  States  is  called  in  questiotf. 

The  reader  will  be  surprised,  but  magazines  are  publishec} 
striving  to  upset  our  social  condition  and  prevent  laws  re- 
garding marriage.  Our  divorce  laws  are  being  scored  from 
the  ground  up.  Much  in  the  Government  is  subjected  to 
scathing  rebuke.  The  Senate  of  the  United  States  is  a  glit- 
tering object  of  virulent  hate.  The  postal  laws  are  being 
attacked. 

Courts,  judges  and  lawyers  receive  broadsides.  It  is 
true,  there  is  a  rapid  decline  in  respect  for  judges  and  their 
decisions.  I  hear  it  often  up  here — "big  thieves  go  free.'* 
We  will  have  chaos  indeed  when  the  people  lose  their  long 
time  respect  for  laws.  The  criminal  world  is  a  terrific 
maelstrom;  and  at  few  epochs  in  history  has  crime  been  so 
formidable.  Criminologists  have  recorded  about  eighty  new 
kinds  of  crime  since  the  civil  war,  all  invented  and  studiecl 
out  with  surprising  skill  and  perfection  since  that  scene  of 
woe.  The  polished  and  accurate  crimes  of  insurance,  bank- 
ing, stock  jobbing  and  trusts  are  new  in  human  history. 

The  Greeks  and  Eomans  debated  for  centuries  on  the 
street  corners,  m  lyceums  and  academies.  But  now  every- 
body with  an  argument  rushes  to  the  papers  and  maga- 
zines. It  may  be  that  these  millions  of  arguments  will  be 
for  the  best  in  the  long  run.  An  epoch  of  seething  chaos 
may  come  on,  and  then  be  followed  by  a  reign  of  order; 
but  now  chaos  is  approaching  with  rapidity. 

In  olden  times,  before  newspapers  came,  a  father  would 
teach  his  son  a  certain  idea,  and  he  his  son,  .the  same 
without  change,  and  so  on  for  centuries.  It  was  next  to 
impossible  for  any  other  idea  to  come  in  the  succession.  But 
now  all  one  has  to  do  is  to  read  and  get  a  dozen  new 
opinions  on  any  hereditary  question.  This  process  surely 
must  in  time  produce  marked  effects. 

Suppose  each  person  in  the  United  States  held  to  a  be- 
lief differing  from  all  the  others,  and  it  may  well  occasion 
wonder  as  to  what  effect  such  chaos  would  have  on  our 
welfare.  Or,  if  such  a  condition  ever  sets  in  with  full 
force,  could  order  ever  be  restored?  This  may  prove  to  be 
a  serious  problem;  but  look  at  it  as  we  may,  the  fact  stands 
out  clearer   and   clearer   every   day  that   many   beliefs   are 

251 


METAMORPHOSE 

rapidly  waning.— Prof.  Edgar  L.  Larkin  in  N.  Y.  Sunday 
American. 

SOME  VEEY  EEMARKABLE  MENTAL  CONDITIONS 
I  am  fascinated  with  the  majestic  new  science,  mental- 
ism.     Ihe  science  of  mind  is  as  intricate  as  astronomy.     In- 
deed, it  is  more  complex  than  the  science  of  the  stars. 

Astronomy  is  based  on  the  most  rigid  mathematics,  and 
you  can  grasp  it  by  numbers  and  figures.  But  the  human 
mind  eludes  all  computation.  You  cannot  subject  it  to 
geometry  or  calculus.  I  am  situated  in  a  place  where  the 
varying  states  of  mind  can  be  studied  at  leisure,  in  an  as- 
tronomical observatory  on  the  top  of  a  mountain.  It  is  a 
capital  place  in  which  to  study  mentality.  Visitors  from  all 
parts  of  the  world  come  here,  and  it  is  easy  to  make  analysis 
of  their  mental  states. 

Mentalists  have  noted  and  recorded  periods  or  epochs 
of  mental  aberrations.  An  entire  nation  can  be  thrown  into 
morbid  mental  conditions.  Many  cases  are  of  record  in 
books  of  mind.  Maniacal  conditions  come  on  without  at- 
tracting attention  at  first,  but  soon  the  awful  thing  is  as 
plain  as  day. 

The  United  States  is  in  a  dreadful  mental  disease  now, 
and  the  minds  of  the  people  are  sorely  distressed. 

Within  a  year,  I  have  met  men  almost  on  the  verge  of 
insanity  regarding  money.  I  have  not  been  able  to  find  an 
exactly  parallel  case  in  the  history  of  the  world.  Eome  was 
money  mad  once  or  twice,  but  the  malady  was  not  of  such 
virulence  as  that  now  on  in  our  own  country. 

The  horrors  of  the  diseased  conditions  in  New  York 
are  simply  working  enormous  evil  throughout  the  nation. 
Wall  street,  on  the  body  politic,  is  as  a  cancer  on  a  human 
body. 

Suppose  the  members  of  a  family  should  all  hate  one 
another.  What  troubles  would  ensue  in  the  household.  The 
United  States  ought  to  be  as  one  great  family — a  happy, 
contented  people.  But  the  reverse  is  coming  on  apace;  it 
is  bere. 

Now,  I  am  in  a  place  where  the  feverish  pulse  of  the 
nation  can  be  examined.  I  talk  with  intelligent  people 
from  erery  state  and  city  in  the  Union.  Smouldering  fires 
of  hate  are  burning  low,  against  Wall  Street  thieves.  I  hear 
the  most  prominent  men  called  "thieves,"  "contemptible 
thieves,*'  "perfect  thieves,"  "polished  scoundrels,"  "rob- 

252 


APPENDIX 

bers,"  "merciless  fiends,"  "buzzards,"  "grafters,"  "dev- 
ils," "ghouls"  and  other  epithets,  day  by  day.  The  life 
insurance  thieves  are  called  "ghouls"  and  "hyenas,"  for 
they  are  looked  upon  as  grave  robbers.  This  idea  is  asso» 
ciated  with  robbery  of  men  who  dig  and  delve  to  raise  money 
for  premiums,  that  their  children  may  have  a  little  when 
they  are  gone. 

In  Egypt  the  graves  have  nearly  all  been  opened  by 
thieves  after  gold  buried  with  the  mummies.  Gold  trinkets, 
finger  rings  and  necklaces  have  often  been  taken  from  the 
dead.  And  the  insurance  thieves  in  New  York  have  been 
compared  to  the  ancient  thieves  within  my  hearing. 

Perhaps  the  New  York  robbers  cannot  help  but  steal. 
Thus:  take  men  past  seventy,  who  have  so  much  wealth 
that  they  cannot  use  the  income.  They  steal  with  all  the 
rapacity  of  a  starving  man.  Ihey  are  money  mad.  And  fhe 
awful  madness  is  at  this  moment  contaminating  the  minds 
of  the  people,  like  a  cancer. 

The  effect  is  terrible  on  young  men.  Have  the  Wall 
Street  robbers  no  sense  of  responsibility?  Are  they  dead  to 
all  that  is  good  in  human  nature?  And  do  they  like  to  be 
so  intensely  hated? 

One  would  think  that  they  could  even  feel  the  "waves 
of  hate."  Do  they  not  know  that  floods  of  hissing  words  of 
withering  scorn  are  poured  upon  their  heads? 

Of  course,  all  argument  is  lost  on  a  maniac.  Perhaps 
the  great  thieves  beyond  the  age  of,  say,  sixty  years,  are  to 
be  pitied.  Take  a  crank,  argue  with  him,  and  no  impression 
can  be  made  on  his  obdurate  mind. 

A  deplorable  condition  is  now  on.  Statesmen  must 
grapple  with  this  money  disease.  Entirely  new  sets  of  laws 
must  be  enacted.  Our  present  laws  do  not  seem  adequate; 
or  else  the  aplication  of  existing  law  fails  completely. 

I  happen  to  know  that  the  minds  of  the  American 
people  are  being  poisoned.  I  have  often  engaged  in  con- 
versation with  tourists  from  Europe;  and  have  asked  them  to 
express  their  opinions  freely.  They  agree  that  the  giant 
thieves  will  come  near  wrecking  our  Government.  Amaze- 
ment has  often  been  expressed  here  that  robbers  appear  in 
such  high  places,  and  that  men  will  steal  merely  for  the 
"pleasure"  of  stealing,  as  one  man  expressed  it. 

It  would  be  a  great  treat  for  writers  on  economics,  so- 
ciology and  political  affairs  to  come  to  this  observatory  and 

253 


METAMORPHOSE 

study  these  questions  for  several  years.  They  would  be  as 
much  astonished,  no  doubt,  as  I  am. — By  Prof.  Edgar  L. 
Larkin. 

CHAPTER  Xn 
Additional  Information 

(z)  It  will  not  be  long  before  there  are  many- 
Branches  in  each  State.  Already  the  membership 
numbers  nearly  two  thousand  intelligent  men  and 
women  who  have  banded  together  for  their  welfare 
and  for  the  welfare  of  their  country  and  the  Race. 
The  membership  is  not  confined  to  any  particular 
locality,  but  extends  from  the  Atlantic  to  the 
Pacific.  Any  person  who  is  really  interested  in  the 
work  being  done  and  who  wishes  to  learn  more  of 
the  organization  will  be  put  in  touch  with  some  of 
the  present  membership  by  the  publishers  of  this 
book  upon  request. 


THE  SYMMETRY  OF 
THE    ARGUMENT 


THE  continuity  and  blending  of  the  Chapters  in  Meta- 
morphose is  the  Argument  unitized. 
The  book  contains  so  much  that  is  new— so  much 
that  is  uncommon  and  startling  to  the  average  reader  — that  the 
publishers  deem  it  proper  to  set  forth  a  brief  summary  de- 
signed to  assist  the  student  in  determining  the  relationship  of 
the  Chapters,  their  logical  sequence  and  their  union.  To  this 
end  is  the  following: 

The  Foreword  discloses  the  attitude  and  desire  of  the 
author. 

The  Introduction  contains  in  its  brief  three  pages  a  veri- 
table storehouse  of  thought.  It  is  designed  to  awaken  and 
inspire  to  action  the  thinking  or  reasoning  faculties  of  the 
reader.  It  can  be  read  anew  with  great  advantage  each  time 
the  book  is  opened. 

Chapter  First  expresses  the  necessity  to  each  individual 
member  of  the  Race  of  acquiring  enlightenment  on  the  great 
problems  that  confront  us,  while 


Chapter  Second  vividly  portrays  the  absurd  and  oppres- 
sive plight  in  which  the  race  is  entangled. 

Chapter  Third  discloses  the  evil  causes  that  have  pro- 
duced the  evil  effects.     This  prepares  us  for 

Chapter  Four  which  turns  on  the  Light  and  elucidates 
most  interesting  and  instructive  information  on  the  great  ques- 
tion of  finance.     This  is  naturally  followed  by 

Chapter  Five,  which  reveals  most  amazing  things  that  men 
have  accomplished  without  a  definite  plan,  and  hints  of  vastly 
greater  things  to  be  accomplished  by  the  intelligent  Utility  of 
things,  especially  money.  The  closing  paragraph  of  this 
Chapter  makes  apparent  the  necessity  of  our  understanding 
the  Natural  Laws  which  should  govern  an  intelligent  system 
of  economics.     So 

Chapter  Six  on  Fundamental  Pnnciples  delves  deeply  into 
the  great  forces  of  Nature  and  shows  clearly  yet  simply  the 
harmonious  operation  of  the  Principles  which  "  regulate  the 
intricate  movements  of  all  things,"  and  which,  necessarily, 
must  be  intelligently  utilized  by  men  in  solving  the  great 
problem  of  Poverty.      Now  comes 

Chapter  Seven,  the  basic  Chapter  of  the  book,  which 
elucidates  the  great  universal  LAW  in  which  the  Funda- 
mental Principles  outlined  in  the  previous  Chapter  are  oper- 


ated.  This  Chapter  is  the  pivot  of  the  Argument.  It  is  the 
central  Chapter  of  the  book,  and  is  the  center  around  which 
revolve  the  varied  ideas  presented,  or  from  which  they  radiate. 
An  understanding  of  the  Fundamental  Principles  enables  one 
to  quickly  understand 

Chapter  Eight  which  discusses  an  all-important,  but  here- 
tofore ignored,  branch  of  Economics  in  a  most  extraordinary 
manner,  and  serves  to  disclose  to  the  reader  the  vitals  of  the 
momentous  question.     This  leads  on  to 

Chapter  Nine  which  shows  the  imposture  that  is  practiced 
by  smug  "  respectability  "  in  levying  tribute  upon  the  unwary. 
After  carefully  considering  all  that  has  preceded,  we  are  now 
prepared  for  the  remarkable  revelations  of 

Chapter  Ten,  which  materializes  some  of  the  phantoms 
that  men  delight  to  chase.  One  has  but  to  read  the  closing 
paragraph  of  this  Chapter  to  become  conscious  that  the  at- 
tainment of  wisdom  is  necessary  to  the  solution  of  the  Prob- 
lem.    So  in 

Chapter  Eleven  is  discovered  the  means  of  obtaining  wis- 
dom. "  Understanding  "  is  a  matter  that  rests  entirely  with 
the  individual.  The  reader  who  becomes  conscious  of  the 
ideas  here  set  forth    has   gained    treasures   beyond  compare. 


The  majestic  picture  of  Race  Evolution  set  forth  in  the  latter 
part  of  this  Chapter  is  soul  stirring.  1  he  logical  sequence  of 
all  that  has  gone  before  is  found  in 

Chapter  Twelve.  It  sings  with  Tennyson,  "  Ring  out  the 
Old,  ring  in  the  New,  "  and  it  discloses  the  idea  around 
which  to  build  the  new  structure. 

Chapter  Thirteen  records  things  to  be  remembered — 
Memorabilia,  it  is  a  beautiful  and  fitting  end  to  one  of 
the  most  remarkable  books  ever  given  to  mankind. 

The  Appendix  is,  of  course,  supplementary  and  explanatory. 


Summed  up  the  Argument  may  be  briefly  stated  as  follows  : 
J}^an  is  out  of  lune,  out    of  harmony  with  ihe  natural 
order  of  things.      Lei  us  gel  in  lune! 

Metamorphose  ciscloses  the  proper  coirse  to  pursue. 


WORLD  BETTERMENT  LEAGUE 

D.  S.  Morgan   Bldg.,  BUFFALO,  N.  Y. 


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